HAVE YOU EVER FELT AWE IN YOUR LIFE?

The dictionary tells us that the word AWE means “emotion in which dread, veneration and wonder are variously mingled”. There has never been a study of this 11th emotion until now. Psychology has ignored it. But Dr Paul Pearsall Ph.D. has brought it to the fore with a new book on his work called “AWE The Delights and Dangers of Our Eleventh Emotion.” Do you have a recollection of your first experience with this emotion? Was it early in your life and maybe had to do with natural things, or some invention, or even admiring your father or big brother? All of these and more fall into this category. Maybe it was a religious or political experience. We are told in many religious books about individual’s encounters with this emotion. It never fails to leave an effect on you.

Dr Pearsall says that AWE is all of the other emotions wrapped into one package. Awe can make us feel powerless and insignificant, yet at the same time strangely inspired. Awe is when life grants us the chance to think differently and deeply about ourselves. It can also make a real mess of ourselves, and the world, says the Doctor. This deep yet understandable work presents in simple terms all that we have known on the subject, without boring or pandering to the sensational. It is also a scientific work of great significance.

Finally, he urges not to wait to experience open awe in our lives. It amazes him after his own experiences and research, millions seem consumed with spending their lives trying to prolong them rather than being in awe of them. Every day, be on the constant lookout for people, places, things and ideas that inspire awe. As his ailing son Scott told him once, “you may not end up having what has been increasingly been defined as ‘the good life’, but I guarantee that you will end up with a remarkable one.”