The Gift of Wonder

“Every day we should hear at least one little song, read one good poem, see one exquisite picture, and if possible speak a few sensible words in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which is implanted in every soul.” ~Goethe

Wonder is a feeling that may arise in the soul when one is suddenly struck by something rare, extraordinary, or astonishing. It can also arise in the soul when one has been interested enough in the most mundane and found something surprising or “hidden in plain sight” When we feel wonder our vitality is enlivened and we may feel one with the universe, one with nature.

Wonder is the seed of knowledge and it was the Ancient Greeks who put this at the center of their educational aims. Socrates said that “Wonder is the beginning of wisdom” The foundation for all learning was wonder. It was thought that without wonder there would be no impulse to explore, to ask questions and to learn. Education, poetry, music and movement were all developed and taught so that later in life there would be a deeper understanding for mathematics and philosophy. By the seventeenth century, some philosophers considered wonder to be a universal human experience with a real intellectual importance, for to some the feeling of wonder was the very thing scientists aimed for if they wished to truly understand the natural phenomena of the world. By the eighteenth century, wonder then became a symbol of the frivolous as materialism took hold of peoples thinking and the value of wonder as an educational tool faded.

We are lucky with our curriculum that at every turn we have the opportunity to bring wonder back into the lives and hearts of your children thus strengthening their capacity for real thinking. The way back to wonder is through the expression of gratitude. Gratitude and wonder feed each other and nourish the soul. As the days become warm and luxurious and the summer calls to families and friends may you find the miraculous in the common things of life and may wonder grow in all of you.

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Blog post on Gratitude you might enjoy HERE.