Your endeavor was WELL worth it. Reading your post woke up that part of my mind that’s been quietly snoozing due to repetitive input. You made me realize that one can turn a Groundhog Day scenario, no matter what it is, into something newly exciting and awe inspiring. Thank you.
I lived in Egypt for a time, in a suburb of Cairo. I was in awe of the pyramids! I went to Giza several times to see these pyramids up close & personal. I strained to catch a glimpse of these wonders whenever I was flying in or out of Cairo or while driving on certain routes. My awe was not shared by the many residents of Giza. Imagine the shopkeeper who saw these structures daily, they were just part of his cityscape & not a source of awe or wonder. I think there are opportunities for awe and wonder daily, and hope I continue to enjoy a cognitive wonderland. Thanks for the framework!
Wonder and awe have changed my life. I had a priest who was into Creation Spirituality and he filled that area in my life that was always there but he put words to it. Creation became alive for me. Once when I had to do washing at the laundromat, my daughter was sitting and playing on the cement slab outside the place. She looked so small sitting there and then I thought of us in this universe and how small we all are.
Sources and degrees of wonder and Awe -- a few comments:
1) When intellectual cognition/"normal perception" fall away, the direct perception of an event is clear, astonishing, , and often awe-inspiring. Some- meditation techniques try to center awareness in this unmediated type of consciousness. Intellection is regarded as an impediment to the effort. Intellect/ego creates "expected events" from memories and patterns, and plays them as a lazy shorthand rather than taking the time and effort to pay more attention.
2) Horrific experiences can also trigger awe. (I know from personal experience, unfortunately).
3) The most relevant "cognitive awe" example is the "Mystical Revelation" that is at the center of Monotheistic Mysticism, a.k.a., (Neo--)platonism. You may know it as the Western Christian "God concepts". It is a mystical theology mislabeled as an "intellectual philosophy." . Intellect is a vital part of it, but its core is intuitive. Awe is deeply interwoven, both prior and afterwards. This specific, recognizable, radically non-dualistic Mystical Evperience is the core theological Revelation in the heart of monotheism -- Judaism,/Kabbalah, Christianity, the Upanishads/Hinduism, Sufism (Islamic Mysticism), and some branches of Buddhism. I can say, from personal experience, that this Mystical Revelation is worthy of extreme awe. I believe it actually inspired the creation of monotheism itself -- it's THAT astonishing and has deep ethical implications.
Your endeavor was WELL worth it. Reading your post woke up that part of my mind that’s been quietly snoozing due to repetitive input. You made me realize that one can turn a Groundhog Day scenario, no matter what it is, into something newly exciting and awe inspiring. Thank you.
I lived in Egypt for a time, in a suburb of Cairo. I was in awe of the pyramids! I went to Giza several times to see these pyramids up close & personal. I strained to catch a glimpse of these wonders whenever I was flying in or out of Cairo or while driving on certain routes. My awe was not shared by the many residents of Giza. Imagine the shopkeeper who saw these structures daily, they were just part of his cityscape & not a source of awe or wonder. I think there are opportunities for awe and wonder daily, and hope I continue to enjoy a cognitive wonderland. Thanks for the framework!
Thanks mom 😅
Wonder and awe have changed my life. I had a priest who was into Creation Spirituality and he filled that area in my life that was always there but he put words to it. Creation became alive for me. Once when I had to do washing at the laundromat, my daughter was sitting and playing on the cement slab outside the place. She looked so small sitting there and then I thought of us in this universe and how small we all are.
Sources and degrees of wonder and Awe -- a few comments:
1) When intellectual cognition/"normal perception" fall away, the direct perception of an event is clear, astonishing, , and often awe-inspiring. Some- meditation techniques try to center awareness in this unmediated type of consciousness. Intellection is regarded as an impediment to the effort. Intellect/ego creates "expected events" from memories and patterns, and plays them as a lazy shorthand rather than taking the time and effort to pay more attention.
2) Horrific experiences can also trigger awe. (I know from personal experience, unfortunately).
3) The most relevant "cognitive awe" example is the "Mystical Revelation" that is at the center of Monotheistic Mysticism, a.k.a., (Neo--)platonism. You may know it as the Western Christian "God concepts". It is a mystical theology mislabeled as an "intellectual philosophy." . Intellect is a vital part of it, but its core is intuitive. Awe is deeply interwoven, both prior and afterwards. This specific, recognizable, radically non-dualistic Mystical Evperience is the core theological Revelation in the heart of monotheism -- Judaism,/Kabbalah, Christianity, the Upanishads/Hinduism, Sufism (Islamic Mysticism), and some branches of Buddhism. I can say, from personal experience, that this Mystical Revelation is worthy of extreme awe. I believe it actually inspired the creation of monotheism itself -- it's THAT astonishing and has deep ethical implications.