The Significance of Love
Posted on 15th February 2020 at 14:06
Recently, a friend interviewed me for a research study on how I experience positive emotions in my life. It was really interesting to be a participant as I reflected on the role positive emotions play in my life more deeply than I had before. What captivated me most was the way I experience awe and love in my life.
I’ve always been a big fan of awe. Defined as experiencing wonder almost with a tinge of fear, I seek that feeling out. I get up early and watch sunrises, I hike mountains just to see that first glance of the view from the top, I love to be surprised by the world. Awe makes me feel wonder, connection and yet insignificant simultaneously. You see when I see that sunrise or that amazing view, my view of the world is expanded. I realise I belong to something quite amazing; I feel totally connected to the world around me but equally it helps diminish all the problems or issues I think are in my life down to a speck of dust in the universe. It’s liberating.
I never compared awe and love before. As I was describing them in my life, I suddenly saw that, although in some ways they feel the same; an expanded feeling in my heart, connection, in another way they are polar opposites. Just like the lens for awe zooms out so we can get the big view of the universe we belong to and we are reminded of how amazing our world is, the lens for love zooms right in close and reminds you of how amazing you are in the eyes of another.
What struck me most was that if awe makes me feel insignificant, love makes me feel significant. Because when faced with the choice of experiencing awe at the entire universe, that person has chosen to experience the entire universe through you, even if just for a moment.
Photo Credit Nick Fewings on Unsplash
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