Raise Me Up and Cut Me Down

August: On Wonder and AweAugust 23Awe is a double-edged sword. In a way, it satisfies us. Certain types of it (for there are many, and not all must be grand and induced by nature) allow us to proclaim that we were there, as Crane’s man did. It allows us to declare that we scaled the mountain, sailed the ocean, or reached the stars. But with that elevation, we are humbled. It shines a light on our flaws, our pettiness, our smallness—bringing us awareness. And then it dissolves us like salt thrown into boiling water, and we relish it, for knowingly or not, that is what we seek: to feel ourselves elevated in one moment like gods looking down upon their creations, and then obliterated into nothingness the next. We can never be just one thing. But that’s not a bad thing—it’s a very human thing.Reflection title: Raise Me Up and Cut Me DownCreative inspiration:  Robert Macfarlane, Mountains of the Mind: A History of a FascinationReflection question: What awe-inspiring event in my life raised me up in one moment and then cut me down in the next? Am I aware of these dueling feelings brought about by the same experience?