The Enormous Power of Awe...
Look at that face.
“The object isn’t to make art, it’s to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable,” Robert Henri
So, by way of explanation off the top, I’m having a bit of a moment as I begin today and I’ve decided to take you along for the ride. As I was perusing the stuff I generally peruse first thing in the morning, I discovered that this is the weekend for the 95th Annual Academy Awards. I swear, I didn’t know that until today.
I can’t tell you the last time Neva and I watched the Oscars. Yes, yes, we missed seeing last year’s “slap heard ‘round the world” live, but, courtesy social media, saw it moments later diminishing our shock and righteous indignation only by a few degrees. I know we used to watch but it’s been so long ago I couldn’t peg last viewing to even a five-year window if my life depended on it. I’m betting it was right around the same time we stopped going to the movies on a regular or even semi-regular basis. And that, my friends, was way - as in more than a decade - before any pandemic, so not something forced upon us per se. Honestly, the end of our trips to the local cinema was more about a greater value placed on convenience and the elimination of unnecessary hassle, the acquisition of a big screen TV maybe, and definitely, a much greater focus on our furry friends, actually more like kids, who have come to control every aspect of our lives. Not that we’re bitter, mind you. The latter reason, aka our pups, is a trade off we’re more than fine with. Have you seen those sweatshirts that say “I like Dogs and Maybe Three Other People”? We own them. Wear them. And, suffice to say, we consider it a statement of fact.
All that said, this whole “we don’t watch the Oscars or go to movies” reality, today, for the first time that I can remember, is making me a little nostalgic, even sad. I’m suddenly remembering things like, decades ago, in Cleveland, Ohio, spending an entire weekend going to as many movies as time would allow. And, the whole next week discussing the most memorable moments of each. Feeling a sense of pride that we had seen ALL the films nominated for that year’s Best Picture Oscar. I’m flashing on the anticipation of seeing Star Wars and Titanic, Field of Dreams, the excitement of the first Avatar in 3-D. And, I’m remembering the feeling of walking out of each of those theaters humbled and in Awe of at least some aspect of what I had just witnessed.
Watching the Oscars each year, during those times, was simply an extension of the experience of that child-like wonderment, that special, unexplainable feeling you get when you allow fantasy and free expression to, for even a few moments, come to the surface from the recesses and depths of your being. It’s the “wonderful state” Robert Henri is talking about in the quote at the top of the page (which by the way, I borrowed from a new book by Rick Rubin - “The Creative Act: A Way of Being". I highly recommend it). It’s a sense of wonderment that makes you want to imagine and create.
Being in Awe of something can be intensely powerful on so many levels - take another peek at the kid’s face at the top of the page. It’s renewing, invigorating, motivating, and so incredibly broadening of our personal context and outlook on Life itself. It allows us to actually see and experience things normally passed by unnoticed and ignored. It unlocks a part of us too frequently closeted away and buried beneath the grime and frustration of the “must dos” that invariably come to dominate our daily experience. It gives us hope, and makes us better people because it reminds us of what is possible, and, if even for just a moment, inspires us to push past the norms we too often settle for. It expands our personal universe beyond our own front doors and cubicles.
I can feel the eyes rolling back into your head, but wait! There’s more! The power of Awe is hardly limited to a bunch of touchy-feely intangible notions. The physical benefits are every bit as apparent and every bit as important. Scientific research confirms that experiencing Awe lowers stress levels, expands our mental capacity, stimulates new ways of thinking, makes us more creative and innovative, and increases our problem solving capabilities. For good measure, those studies show it promotes pro-social behavior toward others, including things like generosity, compassion, and tolerance. Yep, regular doses of Awe can help remedy and even prevent the biases we all have. It truly is a sort of miracle elixir, and - bonus! - it comes in as many forms and flavors as you can imagine, from great works of art and music to the trees in a forest or dramatic sunrise or sunset. It’s quite literally all around us just waiting to be seen and experienced. The problem is that we forget how important it is to see and experience.
It should be noted that there are those among us who find it very difficult to be Awe struck by anything. These are generally people whose primal world beliefs - aka the lenses through which they see the world - tend towards the negative. They view everything around them as unjust instead of just, a fearful place, not one of one of wonder, and regard life as a mechanized exercise where fates and fortunes are predetermined. There’s a great podcast by Shankar Vedantam called Hidden Brain that explains how these lenses impact our outlook on everything and how willfully changing them can create a whole new outlook on life. There are actually exercises that people can do to transform their primal beliefs and broaden their perspectives. I encourage you to listen - it’s fascinating and, dare I say, potentially life altering (I dare! I dare!).
Here’s the part where I focus on The Media so as not to have my membership revoked. While each and every one of us can benefit from the power of Awe, and should partake of moments, hours, and days of delight in whatever (legally) brings us to that state of being, for journalists it should be required for a number of crucial of reasons. A journalist with regular intervals of Awe will be more innovative, creative, and have greater curiosity, which will lead to greater understanding and tolerance. In the process, they will be less prone to the natural bias that comes from our primal beliefs - all of which will make them so much better at their jobs. I believe newsroom managers need to build in those opportunities of exploration for all, but especially for those who create content. Make it mandatory that your crime beat or government reporter, once-a-week, covers an amazing scientific breakthrough or account of great human achievement. If they can build time to witness a sunset, all the better.
Equally important, create those opportunities for your audience. Dial up the quotient of stories that amaze, astound, and allow them to take flight into areas they normally wouldn’t go. Provide them with moments of Awe. Give them a dose of that magic elixir. It couldn’t hurt.
A Case in Point…
This past week I was on a call with a colleague who shared with me an animated film that was created by a young producer using a combination of live action and AI created animation. It was brilliant and provided a glimpse of movie making to come. As the clip ended, my normally quiet, almost shy, colleague said, no, he exclaimed, loudly, “IT JUST MAKES ME WANT TO GO CREATE SOMETHING!!” He was justifiably moved. He WAS in Awe. It’s powerful. It’s positive. It’s needed.
Now, having said all of that, there’s a good chance Neva and I won’t watch the Oscars tonight since, among other things, we’re not even sure of the films or actors nominated, but I do think going to see a movie every now and then may, once again, become a part of our Awe-seeking protocol. Or maybe we’ll just add another long walk to our daily routine and marvel at the budding Forsythia, or “Huey” the glorious Great Heron who happens to reside in a pond a couple of miles away. Bottom Line? We all need more Awe. We need to crave it and find it on a regular basis. Personally, I think it could be good for what ails us all right now. Kind of like another great movie moment from our distant (1989) past - Ghostbusters 2. The Ghostbusters animate the Statue of Liberty and march her down midtown Manhattan to the song “Your Love Keeps Lifting me Higher and Higher.” They use the Awe and jubilation of a bunch of jaded New Yorkers witnessing the spectacle of it all to drive back the evil pink slime that’s making everybody hate everyone else. Like I said…Awe, it’s a powerful thing.