I was originally going to title this the importance of keeping your sense of wonder for artists, but the more I thought about it, the more I figured this was important for every man in society, not just professional artists. Of course on another note I think every man should take time to develop the artist in him as well, a topic for another time. Now it might seem strange with all that is talked about on this site to talk about having and developing your sense of wonder. First off what is a sense of wonder?
Why is it important? And with everything you have to do in your life is worrying about developing it really something you want to spend your time on? What are the “rewards”, the “benefits”? If any? So let me be the first to say that this isn’t something you do for a quick payout or because the rewards are immediate. Not that there’s much of anything that has immediate rewards but don’t expect this to radically change your life, especially in the short run.
However over time it can add wellness and happiness to your life as well as do a couple other things for you. It’s something that most of us are born with and that we lose overtime through the numbing destruction of the modern world and life. But we can get it back, and we can develop it. It just takes time, understanding, and some effort. Which we’ll all talk about here. But first let’s take some time to talk about what a sense of wonder even is.
What Is A Sense Of Wonder?
What does it mean to have a sense of wonder? Does it mean you’re impressed by small everyday things? Maybe, maybe not. Does it mean you’re naïve and/or immature? Definitely not. So what does it mean? While I don’t think there’s any one definite definition to this to me it means to have a sense of wonder, at least partly. It means to have a curiosity about things and let yourself think things are neat and cool. It is the opposite stance of the closed minded insecure hipster. The weak armed and weak hearted cynic. It allows you to see the world with fresh eyes and be amazed.
It’s curiosity and thinking about things. It can be something simple things like looking at mountains and the distance and wondering how they got there, who all went through them, what they’re like. It could be tasting a new dish and thinking of everything that went into it. It could be people watching at the mall. It means thinking about things, “wondering” about them and being “wondered” by what you discover. Understand that you don’t know it all and that’s there magnificent things out there.
It has nothing to do with naivety or childishness. It’s not being wondered by horrible things, its not denying the horror of the worlds, and its not completely denying all cynicism. It’s just retaining the ability to be curious about things, again to wonder about them and be wondered by them.
Why Develop It? Why Is It Important?
So I can’t give you much of a “utility” type answer. Developing a sense of wonder probably won’t help you put more money in the bank or food on the table. It likely won’t save you if you’re lost in the woods or attacked by a bear. It won’t raise a healthy and happy family on its own. But what it does do is color everything that you do and it leads you down wondrous paths that you never would have gone down before. It lets you discover or rediscover the beauty that arounds you. And it’s there, trust me, even if hard to find.
I’ll describe why most don’t have a sense of wonder later and a large part of it has to do with where they look for it. It will add joy, experience, and meaning to your life. You’ll be able to stop and smell the roses and understand the world in a deeper way because of it. It helps to fight back against the numbness that seizes us in the modern world and drags us away from the better aspects of our humanity. It allows us to see things in a new way and understand them better. Sometimes that’ll make us love something more, other times it’ll make us despise it more. A sense of wonder does not mean looking at something with rose colored glasses. A sense of wonder develops your sense of horror and outrage concurrently with it.
How To Develop Your Sense Of Wonder
I talked a little bit above why people lose their sense of wonder. The modern world saps you of your soul and the many numbing agents in it do so as well. And most people when they look to cultivate their sense of wonder they look in the wrong direction. They look to manmade things and humankind. But the fact of the manner is looking at humanity with a real focus with only cultivate your sense of horror, not wonder. Don’t look to man for wonder, don’t look to manmade things. Aside from art, architecture, and a few other things man isn’t the place for wonder, or at least not the place to start.
What I recommend is getting out in nature, getting lost in it. Maybe its camping in the woods, going to national park, seeing the tundra, the desert, the northern lights. Watching the seasons change, scuba diving in a cave, a coral reef. Getting out of your house and into the wonderful world of nature. Another thing I’d recommend is pick up a craft. Woodworking, blacksmithing, sketching, painting, singing, anything really. They all reveal deeper parts of the world and help you to see and understand things better.
Don’t let your sense of wonder atrophy and die. There is nothing noble or superior about being cynical and nothing else. Cultivate your sense of wonder and learn to see the world around you with new eyes.
If you have any questions you would like to see answered in a future post send them to me at charlessledge001 (at) gmail (dot) com. If you found value in this post then I would encourage you to share this site with someone who may need it as well as check out my books here. I appreciate it.
-Charles Sledge
