Mysterious Emotion To Be In

Emotions are end products of our experiences; they can get in the way or get you on the way. Life’s beauty lies in its imperfections and its sadness reminds us of the depths of our emotions. The word "emotion" was coined in the early 1800s by Thomas Brown and around the 1830 the modern concept of emotion first emerged for the English language.

An emotion is a chemical process associated with our body. Emotions come & go quickly, technically or rather biologically emotions lasts 90 seconds any remaining emotional response is just the person choosing to stay in feel of that emotional loop. According to psychologist Robert Plutchik, humans can experience over 34,000 different emotions, but typically experience eight primary emotions.

There is this conceptual approach of a mysterious emotion in 2003 by psychologists Dacher Keltner and Jonathan Haidt called ‘Awe’.

Awe is an emotion of (transcendence) a spiritual or religious state, or a condition moving beyond physical needs and realities. It brings an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear etc. produced by that which is grand, sublime and extremely powerful.

Research has said ‘Awe’ with its mixed emotion of reverence, respect, dread and wonder gives mental health benefits, especially the awe in nature. Awe can improve well-being, reduce stress, decrease anxiety, and promote optimism, gratitude, compassion, love, and social tendencies like humility, generosity, and lower aggression.

Furthermore, awe is associated with connectedness and spirituality. It enables people to transcend worldly concerns like money and materialism. This transformative sense of self-transcendence is referred to as the overview effect. It is said many astronauts have reported experiencing this effect which “facilitates a sense of oneness with humanity and the cosmos in the individual.”

One must experience more often the awe feeling which has the capacity to become fully immersed and make one lose the self in some activity or experience. It draws one to sciences, arts, and other awe-inspiring stimuli that are rich, uncertain, and complex. It brings openness to new ideas and increases desire to seek awe or awesome experiences. Awesome is loud but Awe is quiet.

Some people may fail the experience of awe with their barriers of self-referential thinking, depression and self-criticism all because one is not connecting to the world. One has to focus beyond the self to information, ego dissolution and immersion in the environment.

Awe is the beginning of wisdom, a beginning of education. Instead of just teaching our children how to use things and do things, we nourish their sense of wonder. A teacher once strongly put across to his students. “He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes closed.

Life is full of grace and truth mystery and wonder, living in that atmosphere if one can’t be in awe of Mother Nature there is something wrong. Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder. Some of the unhappy artist in their most difficult situations can create awe-inspiring works of art.

Create experiences that leave you in awe, feel and gaze in awe and importantly the awe of God is Wisdom.

Gurbani says “Bʰagaṫ raṫaa jan sahj subʰaa▫é….. “The Lord’s humble servant is imbued with devotional love, effortlessly and spontaneously. Through awe and fear of the Guru, he is truly absorbed in the True One. Without the Perfect Guru, devotional love is not obtained” SGGS ANG363