By Tim Walsh, M.A., L.P.; DPA, Executive Director of Beauterre
In 2017, I suffered what should have been a life-ending heart attack. A severe blockage struck my left anterior descending artery—an event aptly nicknamed the “widowmaker” because it is rapidly fatal without immediate intervention. Given my circumstances, my survival rate was a mere 5%. My cardiologist later informed me that I had been “clinically dead” three times during the frantic attempts to revive me.
Every single medical intervention had to align perfectly for me to have graced me with what my wife calls “bonus time”. Against the odds, they did. I consider it a miracle, and I remain in permanent awe of the second chance I was given.
What exactly is awe? Psychologists define it as the overwhelming feeling of being connected to something vastly greater than oneself. It occurs when we encounter a reality so immense that it shatters our normal understanding, leaving us captivated and immersed. In these moments, researchers note we experience the “small self”—a shift where our ego fades, and our awareness opens entirely to the wonder before us. Awe, quite literally, blows our minds.
We often experience this vastness through spirituality and faith. It is no coincidence that 12-step addiction recovery traditions begin with a recognition of powerlessness over an addiction. Recovery requires a “surrender” to a greater source of beauty, truth, and goodness, alongside a humble acceptance of what we cannot control. Awe is the dynamism behind these spiritual practices.
Yet, awe need not be rare, once-in-a-lifetime peak experiences. It can be found in the seemingly mundane. Consider your own existence. There was an almost infinite number of possible genetic combinations between your parents, yet here you are. Of the roughly 113 billion humans who have ever walked this planet, you are a completely unique expression of humanity. No one else has your precise thoughts, emotions, or life experiences.
Furthermore, we are quite literally made of stardust. The atoms in your body trace directly back to the cores of ancient stars that forged the elements of our universe an estimated 13.8 billion years ago. Quantum theory suggests that because of how the universe began, these atoms remain deeply interconnected across time and space. We are linked to all living things.
In Hamlet, Shakespeare famously marveled at this paradox of human existence: “What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?” While Hamlet struggled with melancholy, I look at the birth of a child or grandchild and marvel at the breathtaking biotechnology of a single human cell. It is a mathematical near impossibility that the laws of nature are uniquely attuned to sustain human life. Across an estimated 20 trillion galaxies, as far as we know we stand as a conscious apex of creation.
Religion and philosophy refer to this phenomenon as the Magnum Mysterium—the Great Mystery. These are the truths beyond our comprehension that exist in dynamic tension: Why is there something rather than nothing? What is the origin of life? What is human consciousness? Is there life after death?
Awe is our innate response to The Mystery, and it fundamentally changes our biology. When we experience awe, our heart rate slows, respiration deepens, and the brain releases a flood of oxytocin—the hormone linked to empathy, social bonding, and trust. By activating the parasympathetic nervous system, awe dramatically lowers stress. Remarkably, medical studies show it is the single most effective emotion for reducing interleukin-6 (IL-6), a chemical tied to chronic inflammation, cardiac issues, and autoimmune disorders.
By healing our bodies, awe also heals our relationships. It makes us more empathetic, more connected to nature, and more generous to strangers. We can intentionally cultivate this emotion. We can find it through meditation, prayer, mindfulness, and time spent in nature. We can find it by savoring the present moment, practicing deep gratitude, or witnessing feats of peak human excellence.
The theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel captured this life-altering posture best: “Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement… get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually.”
Life is an awesome, nearly impossible gift. It is good to be alive.
