Wonder

Socrates wrote “wonder is the beginning of wisdom”. Rene Descartes once said “wonder is the first of all the passions.”

    I have noticed that the word “wonder” is said much more often by children than by anyone else.  “I wonder why….” is a phrase common to children.  “I wonder if …..” is another.

    Wonder is a quality of excited, amazed admiration or rapt attention to something astonishing or admirable. Wonder can also be a feeling of doubt or uncertainty; an expression of curiosity and intrigue. To wonder or ponder about something is to leave it open-ended, to consider many options and not be determined to settle on one as “correct”.

    I appreciate this quote very much: “To wonder about life in not something we learn; it is something we forget.”  Jostein Gaarder 

    Sadly, I find this is often true. Wonder, curiosity and amazement comes more naturally to children and yet seems to decrease rather than increase with age. As we mature, I think we are taught and conditioned to rely more and more on understanding and knowledge. We become increasingly reliant on what we already know and less curious about what we don’t yet know. Children are well aware that there is more than they do not know or do not yet understand. They are more accustomed to having to trust and be dependent on the knowledge of others. Adults often see lack of knowledge or understanding as a vulnerability, a weakness and something to be overcome. It is less often viewed as an opportunity to grow and discover.

    One study I read found that children ask a staggering 73 questions a day, compared to just 20 that adults ask. Curiosity comes more naturally to children and it seems that within our culture, that natural curiosity declines with age.

    “As children we all wonder – we wonder all the time. And that gets lost in adulthood. It gets beaten out, it gets filtered out or diluted out.”  Neil deGrasse Tyson

    Perhaps this is true, but I don’t believe it needs to be this way. Nor do I think it is irreversible. We can all be intentional about asking questions. I think that adults often have questions and curiosity that is just not verbalized. We may keep our questions and wonder silent. I wonder why we do this?

    I wonder if we can change? I wonder how increasing our sense of curiosity, giving voice to it, will impact our lives? I wonder if, instead of being threatening or creating vulnerability, it will actually make us stronger and more united?

Here are a few other wonder-ful quotes:

    “I wonder how many people I’ve looked at all my life and never seen.”  John Steinbeck

    “All spiritual life begins with a sense of wonder, and nature is a window into that wonder.” Richard Louv

    “Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.”  Neil Armstrong

    “Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder”  E.B. White

    “The world is full of wonders, but they become more Wonderful, not less wonderful when science looks at them.”  David Attenborough

    “The wonders of nature are endless”  Walt Disney