Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
A Sense of Wonder
Whether you are Christian or not, Christmas is a good time for renewal of innocence and wonder. The common sights of people excitedly opening gifts, decorating homes and public streets in lights, retelling stories of miracles and merriment — such experiences can rekindle in us a joyful pursuit of the good and the beautiful.
As I washed my hands this morning with soap foam, I glanced at the prismatic bubbles on my skin and recalled the joy in the eyes of young nephews and nieces as they play with bubbles. Sometimes they prefer to make the bubbles themselves. Other times, they hand me the wand and chase the bubbles to catch and pop.
The key to attractive photography, I find, is to seek that childlike sense of wonder. It is easier to recall when faced with grandeur. But there is so much in little things we forget to notice.
A preferred pastime of mine is to explore the virtual worlds of video games and admire the fruits of imagination unshackled by the constraints of reality. Architecture is divorced from economics, gravity, and material limitations. Movement is not slowed by stamina or risk of injury. Dangers may be dared and every option explored, knowing that any failure will be erased by the reset of time. Like films and paintings, games let us see the dreams which novels describe.
I would love to travel more (and could make a priority of it). Landscapes and architecture are the chief objects of my attention while traveling. But the costs of money and time are often prohibitive, so I settle for enjoying scenes real and not as presented on a screen. Sometimes it doesn’t feel so much like settling.
What are the experiences that refresh your appreciation of the world’s better qualities? To what do you turn for inspiration or relief?
Published in Entertainment
I love the silence I experience during my morning walks. Few people are outside, and this time of year, there are very few cars. The silence is broken only by chattering squirrels, an excited Kingfisher, and sandhill cranes that call out as they fly by. Silence is one of my favorite companions, soothing and calming me, and I never tire of it.
Thanks, Aaron, for your lovely words and stunning photos.
In many ways I’m a simple man.
John Senior wrote that secular society “crushed” the wonder out of young people. He was famous for the Integrated Humanities Program at U of Kansas, were he tried to reintroduce the idea of wonder- so many of his pupils became religious that it caused a stir.
Recently wrote a novella (currently polishing it before submitting to publishers) and the premise, at least for the first third or so, is following a person who’s experiencing everything for the first time. I had a lot of fun thinking about how things like seeing dust descending through a beam of light would be fascinating to someone who had never seen it before. A lot of writing well comes down to describing ordinary things so the reader joys in seeing it in a new light, as if with the eyes of a newborn.
The wait for Metroid Prime 4 is killing me. That series offers up environments so grand, so beautiful. I still remember gawping when I first traveled to Sanctuary Fortress in MP2:
Or the antique fantasy sci-fi of MP3’s Skytown:
One thing that really brings me joy is talking to Jesus, especially out loud. There’s just something special about praying out loud. I was recently introduced to the idea of praying through a Psalm: basically, reading the first verse and praying based on what comes to your mind/heart from that verse, and then moving on to verse 2. It’s so fun and amazing, and I love it. 😃
That’s very interesting. I’d love to read more about this.
Last night, I took my children and went outside to look up the sky. Beautiful Christmas Star in the Darkest Winter Solstice Night. And the Lord whispered to my soul ” So we do not lose heart. ” 2 Corinth. 4:16. He has never failed to answer my prayer. God’s love in any shape or form is my inspiration. Thank you for such a heartwarming post. Merry Christmas.
I love this. Moments like this are so special. God is so good!
He wrote two books on the subject (The Restoration of Christian Culture, The Death of Christian Culture) and there is a well received book on his life/work- John Senior and the Restoration of Realism by one of his students.
Happiness is a warm, purring kitty.
My current virtual travels take me England circa the Norman invasion (from the game Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla).
I have to get a new computer. I don’t have time for much video gaming, but still.