We are living in an age where the world is in our hands — literally. Through a glass screen, we can reach into the cosmos, revisit history, listen to strangers’ dreams, and watch storms unfold across the globe in real time. And yet, somehow, we are lonelier, more anxious, and more disconnected than ever.
The very tool that promised to bring us closer has begun to separate us from something sacred: our capacity for awe.
The Quiet Theft of Wonder
Awe isn’t a luxury. It’s a cornerstone of meaning. It reminds us we’re part of something greater, something mysterious and vast. Awe arises in the hush of a forest trail, in the scent of spring rain, in the crackling presence of someone truly listening.
But when our phones become constant companions, awe gets pushed aside. The flicker of the screen replaces the flicker of candlelight. The dopamine hit of a notification overshadows the slow-blooming joy of presence. Instead of experiencing life, we start observing it secondhand.
Phones don’t just distract us; they divide our attention, displace our awareness, and numb our deeper sensitivities. We stop noticing the quiet details that give life its texture: the way sunlight dapples across your partner’s hand, or how a loon cries across a northern lake at dusk.
Over time, we forget what it feels like to feel.
The Existential Cost: Attention and the Erosion of Meaning
Irvin Yalom once wrote that we are beings in search of meaning, and that confrontation with the givens of existence — death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness — demands courage, not distraction. Viktor Frankl reminded us that we can endure almost anything if we understand our why.
But how do we find that why when our attention is hijacked? When meaning has been flattened into content? When awe is compressed into 15 seconds of video, quickly forgotten?
Existential therapy invites us to ask questions we’ve grown afraid to face:
- What have I stopped noticing?
- What part of me is going numb?
- What might awaken if I were willing to be bored?
For awe to return, we must court it like a long-lost friend. We must give it the stillness it requires, the vulnerability it asks of us.
Interventions: Practices That Awaken Wonder
Dear reader, you are not broken. You are simply tired. Overstimulated. Dislocated from the earth beneath your feet and the breath in your chest. Let us return you to yourself.
1. Practice Micro-Awe Moments
Begin with the smallest acts. Look out the window. Watch clouds pass. Let your gaze soften and your breathing slow. Awe is not hidden; it is neglected.
2. Establish Sacred Space
Designate tech-free rituals. Morning coffee without a screen. A walk at dusk with nothing but your thoughts. Presence, like a neglected muscle, grows with use.
3. Walk Without Purpose
Take a path simply to take it. Let your steps meander. Listen to birdsong without needing to identify the species. Let the landscape whisper something only you were meant to hear.
4. Reflect Each Evening
What moved you today? What moment made you pause? Awe is not always joyful; it can also be sorrowful, reverent, humbling. Write it down. Let it live somewhere outside your memory.
5. Dare to Go Quiet
Stillness is the soil in which awe grows. Phones fill silence with noise. Meaning needs room to echo. What do you hear when the devices are off? What part of you is asking to be heard?
The Way Back to Meaning
Our devices promise connection, but what we crave is communion. What we hunger for is to feel something that transcends us. To stand before the universe not as an algorithmic consumer but as a human soul.
There is no app for awe. No shortcut to wonder. Only a return: to the body, the breath, the world as it is.
We need not discard technology, but we must reclaim authorship over our attention. And this begins with a choice:
To look up.
To be still.
To feel.
You, reader, are capable of meaning. Of reverence. Of wonder.
And if you have forgotten how, then let this be your gentle call.
Reach inward. Reach outward. Find a therapist who will not fix you, but rather walk beside you as you remember. Whether through existential therapy, mindfulness, or simply sitting across from another soul in quiet recognition—you can return.
Return to the life you’ve been scrolling past.
If you’re ready to take the next step toward reclaiming meaning and awe, we invite you to connect with us at Beyond the Couch Counseling. Our Grand Rapids-based therapy practice specializes in helping people reconnect with what truly matters—through existential therapy, mindfulness-based practices, and compassionate support.
Curious to explore more? You might also find these reflections helpful:
- How to Find Meaning in Uncertain Times
- How I Learned My Generalized Anxiety Disorder Was OCD
- Managing Election Anxiety with Meaning and Mindfulness
At Beyond the Couch Counseling in Grand Rapids, Michigan, we believe in the quiet, powerful return to what matters. Whether you’re walking through anxiety, burnout, or simply seeking to feel more fully alive, our therapists are here.
Come home to awe. Come home to yourself.
