Inspiring Awe

As part of a weekly reflection from the Executive Director of the National Association of Episcopal Schools, The Rev. Dan Heischman introduced us to a fascinating article in livescience.com about a recent study: “Stanford University researchers have discovered that awe—as opposed to joy or other positive emotions—gives people the sense that time has slowed down…[they] reported feeling less hurried. What’s more, they turned out to be, as a group, more likely to donate their money to charity, less absorbed with materials goods, and generally reported higher levels of satisfaction with their lives.”

Heischman comments, “As she put it, gazing at a mountain vista, a stunning landscape, or listening to a great symphony may well turn out to help people…There are few things that we hope more for our students than that they feel less rushed in the rat race of life, more patient, and more compassionate toward others. So, too, we wish them to be generous, less materialistic, and feel a certain level of satisfaction with life.”

It appears that helping students experience a sense of awe promotes these outcomes.  And EDS promotes awe.  I will think about this next week while I am in the middle of Pisgah National Forest overlooking God’s awesome creation while on the 8^th grade Outward Bound trip.  This is just one of the many ways we get students into the natural world to discover and marvel at creation.  Our new hands-on science curriculum is all about exploring the awe-inspiring miracle of creation.  But it’s not just in the natural world. I’ve watched our teachers inspire awe in the discovery of the power of a great book, the magic of numbers, the stories of great leaders and history-shapers, the beauty of music and art, and most of all in the exploration of the mystery of faith.  Who is better equipped to promote opportunities to experience awe than an Episcopal school community that prays together, reads and studies the great story of Judeo-Christian history, and worships as a community in a beautiful, awe-inspiring chapel?

I’ve known all along that we promote the experience of awe at EDS.  What Dan Heischman pointed out to me is that there is a new study that confirms the benefits.  Just another value-added of the EDS experience.