Monday, July 27, 2009

Awe

Awe is an emotion comparable to wonder but less joyous, and more fearful or respectful. A person may feel wonder or joy while seeing a large rainbow, but typically a person does not feel in awe of a rainbow. In general awe is directed at objects considered to be more powerful than the subject, such as the breaking of huge waves on the base of a rocky cliff, or the thundering roar of a massive waterfall. The Great Pyramid of Giza, the Grand Canyons, or the vastness of open space in the cosmos are all places or concepts which would typically inspire awe. Awe is defined in Robert Plutchik's Wheel of emotions as a combination of surprise and fear.
in Wikipedia



"If you can't be in awe of Mother Nature,
there's something wrong with you."
(Alex Trebek)

*Photo by Pedro Moreira, "Stairways to Heaven"


Exposed On The Cliffs Of The Heart

Exposed on the cliffs of the heart. Look, how tiny down
there,
look: the last village of words and, higher,
(but how tiny) still one last
farmhouse of feeling. Can you see it?
Exposed on the cliffs of the heart. Stoneground
under your hands. Even here, though,
something can bloom; on a silent cliff-edge
an unknowing plant blooms, singing, into the air.
But the one who knows? Ah, he began to know
and is quiet now, exposed on the cliffs of the heart.
While, with their full awareness,
many sure-footed mountain animals pass
or linger. And the great sheltered birds flies, slowly
circling, around the peak's pure denial.--But
without a shelter, here on the cliffs of the heart...

Rainer Maria Rilke