The State of Awe: The Remedy to the Meaning Crisis.

Child-Like Wonder

Do you remember being a child, when everything seemed like magic? When you were filled with wonder and amazement at how things worked, moved, and grew? The idea that a tiny seed could become the tallest tree in the forest was mind‑blowing, and you would study how it fluttered and glided through the sky on blades like propellers. Do you remember standing beside a mountain and feeling overwhelmed by how small you were next to it? Or holding an ant and wondering how tiny he must feel beside you?

Where do you think that childhood wonder and awe went? Did we grow into all‑knowing beings who figured everything out, or did we become too burdened, distracted, and anxious with the responsibilities of life to notice the amazing things that are always around us? Or maybe you still hold that same wonder, but you are afraid of how you will look if you let yourself fully experience it. You might want to frolic through a field like a child, dance when a rhythm hits you just right whether you are on a dance floor or in a grocery store, or let tears rise when you truly feel the beauty of the earth around you.

For the past few years, I have been fascinated by the experience of awe. I have asked people on social media what brings them into that state. Many mentioned magnificent sunrises and sunsets, mountains and oceans, or sweet moments like baby ducks following their mother.

What stood out to me was that almost all of these responses were connected to the earth and the cosmos, things that are constantly around us. None were once‑in‑a‑lifetime occurrences. The moments that brought them awe were as simple as opening their eyes and truly witnessing the beauty that surrounds them. If this is true, then awe is accessible whenever we want it, and it may even be a cure for our society’s meaning crisis.

The Problem

We are living in a time filled with overlapping crises, but the meaning crisis feels foundational. If we can address it, we may be able to ease many others. By meaning crisis, I mean that many people have lost connection with their purpose, something larger than themselves to live with or for. This leaves people asking questions like “Why am I here?” and “What is the point of all of this?”

I look around and see that we have drained the life out of life. People are glued to screens while walking their dogs or sitting across from someone they care about at dinner. We have become hyper‑focused on biohacking our bodies and optimizing productivity. We watch other people’s lives through a screen and wish that could be us, yet we remain in our living rooms, living vicariously through strangers online.

Life feels heavy right now with war, political strife, natural disasters, and more. Clients tell me they feel guilty if they are not glued to the news, as if giving it their full attention somehow helps. What it actually does is leave us stressed, afraid, anxious, and overwhelmed.

When we give our attention to the world’s stressors, our bodies experience them. Our minds do not distinguish between a real threat and an imagined or witnessed one. The more we stew or watch, the more our bodies believe the danger is present, activating our threat systems and triggering the sympathetic nervous system. This is where anxiety comes from, a constant scanning for danger. When the sympathetic nervous system is activated, our focus narrows both mentally and visually.

This narrowing makes it hard to see the world around us. It is why childlike wonder struggles to surface. We are hyper‑focused on one thing or not seeing the world at all because we are stuck in imagined threats. I believe this is the first step toward true healing, and it is one of the easiest and most accessible ways to begin. Rediscovering the magic in the world reconnects us with meaning, purpose, and hopefully contentment.

The Remedy

When was the last time you allowed yourself simply to be a part of the world? To be a passive observer without feeling the need to make a mark or change anything? When we practice observing and being present, awe and wonder become possible.

This practice is similar to meditation. You train your brain to keep awareness in the present moment, witnessing the world around you. If your mind drifts to stressors, gently bring your attention back to what you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. You can also activate your parasympathetic nervous system, the rest and digest system, by shifting from a narrow visual focus to a wide, panoramic view. For example, if you are walking your dog, notice what you are looking at. Is your gaze fixed on a leaf or a flower? Or maybe the playground where your children are playing? Then consciously widen your view until you can see the edges of your visual field from left to right. Notice what shifts in your body. When I do this, I feel a settling in my chest, my shoulders drop, and tension eases from my face.

Our optic nerve is connected to our nervous system. When our focus is narrow, the sympathetic system activates to help us analyze or respond to potential threats. When we widen our perspective, we trigger the parasympathetic system, signaling safety and allowing our guard to lower.

During my walks, I like to see how long I can maintain a panoramic gaze and stay present. A squirrel darting up a tree or a cyclist passing by will often pull my focus back to a narrow point, and that is alright. Once I notice it, I widen my gaze again and continue walking. This trains the brain for attention and focus while helping the nervous system recognize safety. Practicing this daily, even for just a few minutes, can support your mental health and help your body feel more at ease.

I believe that we can heal, and I have hope that we can find our way back to ourselves. We only need to remember that we were never meant to be separate. We are part of everyone and everything. When we begin to remember this, the collective will begin to heal.

What brings you to a state of awe? Please share and leave it in the comments.