The next morning we mounted our horses a good hour and a half before dawn, hauled them for an hour and had a really long morning in the saddle rounding up over 40 bulls. Luckily it was drizzling, overcast and significantly cooler than usual.
The bulls were scattered and uncooperative at all once we found them. They deviated at every opportunity, constantly trying to hide in the bushes, some even choosing to climb straight up the slopes of rocky mountains instead of walking straight on flat ground. I know if the temperatures had soared it would have been a really grueling, frustrating day fighting the bulls next to the pens. But my sense of awe at the vast landscape, the misty rain, the cool weather, the beautiful sunrise, and riding my horse put me in a good place to help round up the pasture for less-than-cooperative bulls.
As our lives get hectic and busy and we struggle with a never-ending cycle of obligations, we can easily lose our sense of awe. What is awe? “Awe is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast or beyond human scale that transcends our current understanding of things,” says Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Dacher Keltner, co-founder of the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley.
GGSC studies the psychology, sociology and neuroscience of well-being and teaches skills that promote a thriving, sustainable and compassionate society. The GGSC website is full of great resources for educators, families, and health professionals with research-based tools and training for a kinder, happier society. Keltner’s collaboration with social scientists exploring the power of awe is what I find fascinating.
“People often talk about being in awe like seeing the Grand Canyon or meeting Nelson Mandela,” says Keltner. “But our research shows that it can also be much more accessible – a friend is so generous that you’re amazed, or you see a great pattern of shadows and leaves.”
“Reverence used to be considered the Gucci of the emotional world — great if you have it, but it’s a luxury item,” says Arizona State University psychologist Michelle Sciotta. “But now it’s seen as a fundamental part of being human that we all need.”
Most people report being in awe of nature. The great outdoors has the power to amaze us. A study published in Journal of Environmental Psychology showed that contact with nature (even when viewed from indoors) can enhance positive feelings and reduce stress. But it is not only nature that has the power to move us. Events in your own life can be awe-inspiring, such as marveling at the miracle of birth, meeting an old friend, or sharing a meaningful experience. Then consider music, art, books, and movies to help you feel awe. Listening to Zuill Bailey’s latest recording of the Bach Cello Suites gives me goosebumps.
Without a doubt, the power of awe transcends our understanding of the world and helps us see things in new ways. Albert Einstein described the feeling of awe as “the source of all true art and science.”
Finding awe and wonder in everyday events can improve your health. Reverence changes the body by reducing levels of cytokines, a marker of inflammation that is linked to depression, according to research from the University of Toronto. Research shows that awe awakens the mind, moving us from self-interest to collective interest, as well as humbling us.
“The world is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our senses to be sharpened,” is an idea sometimes attributed to William Butler Yeats. Leave it to a poet to remind us to keep up.
How much awe do you have in your life? This quiz from the GGSC website, at https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/quizzes/take_quiz/awe, will help you find out. Email me and let me know what you find: [email protected]
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Ashton Graham is an educator, book publisher, photographer, cowgirl, and yoga teacher. She is currently studying to become a yoga therapist and lives on a ranch in West Texas. Visit www.ashtoncannon.com to learn more