Wonder is an amazing thing, but most of us eschew it for information gained from the busy, loud world blaring around us. How can we incorporate more wonder in our days, and why should we?
“Our society is much more interested in information than wonder, in noise rather than silence…And I feel that we need a lot more wonder and a lot more silence in our lives.”
–Fred Rogers, Presbyterian minister, TV host, writer
We are an information-hungry society. Between 24-hour news cycles, social media, and all the technology we keep at our fingertips, we constantly search for information to assuage this craving.
I recently met a woman who thrived on information. She’d impart birthdays, schedules, and other details of other people’s lives to me with little prompting. For her, information was something to be shared. Why wouldn’t I want to know so much about another person, even if I didn’t even know them?
But in our search for facts and details, we can easily lose sight of the things that aren’t facts. That aren’t bite-sized pieces of information that fit into a tweet.
When we stop being curious for curiosity’s sake, we lose out on the opportunity to just wonder.
Our world is busy and fast and loud. But in all that noise, we make it impossible for ourselves to stop and listen. Listen to God, listen to nature, listen to others. And also, listen to ourselves.
Our thoughts and where they might lead. Our dreams that might just be the purpose our life is thirsty for. Or maybe the solution to a problem that can be fixed with concentration rather than yet another app, device, or system.
So how can we make space for wonder in this loud, info-laden world?
Wonder in the everyday
Merriam-Webster defines wonder as “rapt attention or astonishment at something awesomely mysterious or new to one’s experience” and “a feeling of doubt or uncertainty.”
Think for a moment about those words: attention, astonishment, mysterious, doubt, uncertainty.
Are those words that make you comfortable? Anxious? Curious to know more?
How we approach wonder can make all the difference in our ability to experience it in the everyday. Wonder is not something that happens quickly. Nor is it simple and straightforward.
To see the wonder in your everyday life, you’ll need to be ok with not always understanding. With insufficient information. With being patient and quiet alongside the curious.
When you allow wonder to be a part of your life, when you choose to open your mind rather than narrow it on details given by others, you open your world.
Isn’t that worth getting a little uncomfortable, a little counter-cultural, for?
Have a blessed Monday!
Looking for more encouragement and inspiration today? Try these posts:
How to Inspire Curiosity, Creativity, and a Love of Reading in Your Children
Inspirational Monday: We Grow Up When We Slow Down
Inspirational Monday: What We Hear in the Silence
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