The element of suprise

This post combines a few ideas that I've been throwing around on google+. And . . . I know it's still a musing post, but I'm still trying to pin down exactly what awe means to me. All awe seems to share some of the same physical results--feeling speechless or disarmed, reverence, transcendence, etc. But the sources of awe can be different. I think it comes down to two main sources, awe stemming from preparation and awe as a result of surprise.

Often you have to be in the right mindset to feel awe--whether it be the hyper-awareness to the details around you; the gray, hungry mental place induced by pain or fear; the spectacle that overwhelms your senses; or some other kind of setting that alerts you to the possible existence of awe. But not all awe requires preparation.

I think the rarest awe moments are the ones that take you by surprise.Those are the moments that completely disarm you--no preparation needed or given.


Almost every experience of awe in my own life that I can think of, I've been prepared for in some way. In books, the most awe-inspiring lines and ideas are only awe-inspiring once I've put in the time and emotional investment of reading everything leading up to the line or idea. Or the awe-inspiring line stands out because of my current life context. Another example--the sky full of stars is beautiful, but not awe inspiring until I am away from civilization and unzipping my tent in the middle of the night for a quick look outside. Or maybe it's the smell of the newly-bloomed hyacinths after the long winter months.

It might be helpful to give a few examples of the second type of awe--awe stemming from surprise. The sudden near-death experience can inspire awe in us. Coincidental meetings can also inspire awe in us. Anything that causes us to shift perspectives rapidly (such as suddenly becoming aware of the vulnerability of a trusted friend or mentor that makes you see them as a new person or performing a long-practiced song in a new setting with new results), etc.

Can we even experience that second awe--the one that follows surprise--in a setting like reading a book? Books certainly use shock and surprise factors to pique the reader's emotional interest and response to a scene, but do those surprises inspire awe all on their own, or are they awe-some because a previous investment of time was required to get to that point? Maybe poetry is different because it has less space to set the scene or mental space for the reader to experience awe in.

I'm not sure where this thought might lead, or if it matters in our discussion of awe, but it helps me to work through it as I try to understand where the awe is coming from and why.