Are We Losing Our Sense of Wonder?

Written by Junior Vuong

The wind whipped through the rusted sunlit canyons. Layers of yellow, orange and red stone collapsed upon each other. Over centuries, powerful torrents carved through the terrain, carving and slicing deep, stretching gorges into the land. Light refracted off the mountainous stone walls, casting long shadows. The slowly ambering sky soared over the rock walls, producing magnificent colours that mixed and mingled in the air. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Your family snaps a quick selfie, eats a few Granola bars and gets on the tour bus to go back home. 

It appears that some of our generation’s sense of wonder, our innate urge to say “WOW!” is now an innate urge to say “Ok, can we go home now?” It seems that certain places and experiences have lost their once-unique spark. “Breathtaking” has now become “yawn-inducing,” and we need to find out why. We need to ask the difficult question: “Are We Losing our Sense of Wonder? And if so, why?”

Some people believe that the digital uprising is the main cause of decreasing enjoyment in unique experiences/places. They believe that the exclusivity of these places or experiences adds to the sense of wonder. Back in the day, people would only be able to hear how amazing these places are, leading them to yearn for this exotic, extremely new area for themselves. They therefore appreciated the experience far more than the average person would today. However, nowadays, it has become easy to have experiences vicariously, removing the mystery and excitement of it. A quick 10 minutes on Google Earth can instantly transport you anywhere you please. Vivid images of every square inch of the world are available at your fingertips. Why is it necessary to be at the real place when you can see and hear the same thing from your bedroom?

However, I would like to offer an alternative opinion to the digital-age doomsayers. In fact, I believe that devices don’t actually decrease the sense of wonder felt by our generation.  I personally experienced this during my summer trip across the USA, visiting all the classic USA landmarks. Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, Washington Monument, the U.S Capitol, etc. During the trip, I had the stereotypical “ungrateful child” reaction. “Why are we here? Why can’t we go home? It’s too hot…” and so on. However, once we finally got back from our trip, I noticed something. On devices everywhere around me, there were pictures of these amazing places and landmarks. As I stared at these once-exotic locations, I had a stunning revelation. Those pictures re-ignited all my great memories of those places, exploring and discovering. My sense of wonder and accomplishment came flooding back, an old friend in this modern world.

We may not be losing our sense of wonder; we may simply be encountering it in a different order. Before the age of tech, there were three stages of emotion on a new journey. Back then, before you traveled to a new place, there was an electric air of excitement and anticipation coursing through your veins. Then, on the trip, you would feel that powerful sense of wonder, witnessing such amazing new scenes and experiences that you had dreamt of. Then, afterwards, nostalgia-tinted memories of the experience engraved into your memory for years to come. Nowadays, all these vivid pictures and sounds that devices provide let you know what to expect before you go on the trip. You feel your sense of wonder and excitement before the trip starts. During the trip, you feel a sense of enjoyment and satisfaction that the trip has all of those amazing sounds and sights that you saw at home. After the trip, devices help you relive the experiences through pictures and videos, like high-resolution memories.

A simple selfie can instantly transport you to a nostalgia-tinted cinema, where the cool Grand Canyon wind rolls across your skin, and the sunset fills your eyes with brilliant hues of flame; When the grinding of your brother’s teeth on Granola bars fills your ears. That photo revives all of your memories almost lost to time. And as that time comes flooding back to you,

So does your sense of wonder.