“We need a renaissance of wonder. We need to renew, in our hearts and in our souls, the deathless dream, the eternal poetry, the perennial sense that life is miracle and magic.” ~ E. Merrill Root
We live on a flat earth and it is getting flatter by the decade. There was a time when we would stand at the edge of the sea and wonder about the lands beyond the horizons. Unable to make the journey in person, we traveled the unknown lands with imagination and wonder. The earth was marvelously, wondrously, undoubtedly round and all we could see was a very small portion of it.
Today we live on an earth that is becoming more and more flat. We look over the horizon and know what it holds. If we want to see the unknown, we are only a few hours from seeing it with our own eyes. We believe that we understand our world. There is little room for wonder when we believe we have seen it all and know it all.
The flat earth exists in a soul that has lost its ability to be in awe. It resides in a human spirit that has placed ego ahead of surprise. The flat earth lives on in a heart that can no longer become lost in the beauty of a sunset. Those who have given up on wonder are doomed to wander a flat earth.
Roundness in life allows for wonder and mystery. Have you ever tried to see on the other side of a globe without moving either yourself or the globe? Roundness leads us to admit that we cannot see all things. We are limited in our vision and understanding. It creates mystery and inspires wonder about the unknown.
Mystery and wonder draws us together and makes us dependent on one another to see beyond our own little world between the horizons. A flat earth is an earth where people fight over imaginary lines drawn on distorted maps. A round earth requires that we rely upon our neighbors if we are to live together in the real world. It engenders humility, silence, and deep yearning.
Such experiences lead us into dreams beyond our hopes and an ear tuned to the music of creation that comes forth on the breeze of being.
Make room for wonder!
Bob Dees