Humans are one of the few species that reflects on itself (themselves) and wonder if things could be better. The dilemmas of mankind can be frustrating. They say we are ‘creatures of habit’ indicating that we have a tendency to rely on predictable patterns. For some, this is referred to as stability, which creates a sense of well being.
However, when these patterns become disillusionment or disappointment we find ourselves wanting to change them. But the desire to change or ability to change often is limited by the nature of the routine itself.
Patterns of behavior such as addiction, to food, behaviors, drugs especially are difficult to change due to the random payoff they might provide. Treatments are usually geared toward the mind to change the very behavior that might be temporarily enjoyable to the individual’s mind.
However we know and recognize that experiences such as addictions have been changed, sometimes spontaneously. There have been many occasions when someone supposedly “makes up their mind” to change a behavior and they do. This is a rare, but not unheard of. So what might have occurred?
Well the experience of AWE may play a key role in the ability to change. Every now and then a moment of awe manages to challenge our understanding of how we have viewed the world. As a result of an AWE moment, we feel pleasantly insignificant and connected to the whole world. Whether it be the birth of a child, the sunrise from the top of a mountain or your favorite sports team winning, experiencing AWE is a very powerful source of contentment. Not surprisingly, cutting-edge research shows that the answer to a truly AWE-some life may lie in – that’s right! – experiencing awe!
During a moment of AWE, we might experience a moral, spiritual and aesthetic emotion. During that moment we might experience ourselves being immersed in the presence of something greater and more wonderful than ourselves. This experience has shown to lead to physical and emotional well being and change, however it takes the experience of ourselves being put aside, resulting in the letting go of what was, to be transformed to a place of what “is” and what could be.
So IF we open ourselves up to new experiences in life, there is that distinct possibility that we might capture an experience of AWE.
