#BlogElul 16 - Wondering about Wonder

Nothing came to mind when I looked at today's topic...Wonder. So I did what I always do when I am stuck. I turned to google. Dictionary.com was only somewhat useful. So I refined my search to "wonder" and "quotes." Now we were getting somewhere...

"Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.” ― Socrates

This was a good place to start. I tend to go "intellectual" first. I liked this connection that wisdom is fueled by curiosity...and finding questions that one can't answer. At least that's what I think of when I think of wonder.

“The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Interesting...so not only did wonder mark the beginning of wisdom, but the ability see wonder within the common, to recognize how miraculous things could be, that was a sign of wisdom. Note to self...need to be present in the world in order to see the miraculous in the common!

"He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed."
-Albert Einstein

Hmmm...so according to Einstein, it isn't just that wonder is a mark of wisdom, it's more than that. If you can't experience wonder in the everyday, if you can't stand in awe, you aren't really living. Note to self...remember to schedule time to be present. Seriously, this is important!

From wonder into wonder existence opens.  -Lao Tzu

Wonder is important because it leads to wisdom. The act of wonder shows wisdom. Awe and wonder are signs that you are living in the moment. And the wonder that is experienced leads to more wonder. 

Here is to finding wonder...and then more wonder...and even more wonder...in the world around us.