Wonder

This person is not actually experiencing any awe or wonder they are just faking it for the camera, as is so often the case in our social media driven society.

Wonder refers to the sense of beauty and awe that you get when interacting with the cool parts of the universe.

"Wonder is the feeling of the philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder." -Plato

Experiencing wonder and associating it with the god concept helps you develop a universal sense of optimism and automatic mindfulness.

Inspiration and Awe

Awe is related to the emotional experienced of wonder, but with an implied sense of reverence versus the joy of wonder.

Inspiration is what turns Wonder and Awe into creative action. When speaking on spiritual matters we feel inspiration because the god concept motivates us towards self-improvement and the improvement of society. We see the Wonder of the universe and are inspired to make it even more Wonderful.

Cultivating Wonder Without Woo

Traditional religion has leaned hard into the "mysteriousness" of the universe as a central method for connecting with awe. Because the universe is so huge, complex, and incomprehensible to us, there must be some "god" being that is way smarter than we are that actually can comprehend it. While this makes total sense in a pre-science era where real understanding is impossible, it no longer seems intellectually honest now that this information is readily available to anyone.

Well said, but advocates ignorance. While we may never go back to the way things were before we understood the universe, that is a good thing.

Creating wonder through mystery also opens up spiritual practice to woo, conspiracies, and grifters. If so much of how the universe works is a mystery, then the mind becomes open to anyone who provides an explanation. The brain naturally seeks explanations and resists the idea that mysteries cannot be solved. The best solution is to provide a rational explanation before an irrational one can be presented.

But does taking the mystery out of the universe take away the wonder? Absolutely not. There is far more wonder, awe, and inspiration in understanding exactly how something works than the mystery can ever possibly hold. There is far more happiness, too, since actually figuring out how things work is the brain's primary function and happiness is the by-product!

When you see how intricately all of the pieces of the universe fit and work together, from the quantum level all the way to fractal galactic clusters, and the infinite detail that every tiny piece of the universe contains which could be studied for a lifetime, how can you possibly say that the wonder is gone? It is a ridiculous, self-serving notion meant to trap people in ignorance, not grant them access to spiritual ecstasy.

Cultivating Wonder - To the Best of Our Knowledge

Awesome Videos

Is it hyperbolic to use the word "awesome" when you really just mean "pretty darn cool"? Probably. It might be better to reserve the use of some words to describe truly unique encounters with the divine. But that is a digression.

Jason Silva: Shots of Awe

The Trick to Regaining Your Childlike Wonder - Zach King

Dacher Keltner: Why Awe Is Such an Important Emotion

Philomena Cunk's Moments of Wonder (Series)

Wonderful Music

It's like a jungle sometimes. It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under.

Natalie Merchant - Wonder

Wonder - Shawn Mendes

Oasis - Wonderwall