Oh the Wonder, Part I

A lens that I have recently begun to view parenting through is this: Did we do this 100 years ago? 1,000 years ago? (If you’re an old-earth creationist, 100,000 years ago?) If the answer is yes we were, it’s often not a bad idea. (I.e., breastfeeding, eating fruits and vegetables, living in community, etc.)

And if the answer is no, I like to investigate further.

Note: Obviously there have been immeasurable improvements to our lives in past centuries and beyond, resulting in longer lifespans and lower child mortality rates. But stay with me as I pull from my favorite book Hunt, Gather, Parent.

Something we weren’t doing 100 years ago? Taking dozens of photos a day. Actually, we weren’t doing this 20 years ago. And I keep wondering if this is good or bad. (I do believe these types of things are rarely neutral.)

Since the beginning of time, when witness to something beautiful--a sunset, a kindness in children, a beautiful meal--we have sat back and smiled. Or leaned in in wonder. Now, we pull out our devices to capture it, lest it slip away. Are we better off for doing so? Are we more joy-filled? Are our lives overflowing with abundance now that we have the ability to document everything that makes us smile or laugh? Are our lives more fulfilling than those of previous generations now that we can so easily relive our days, our meals, our moments? Our nation’s mental health crisis suggests no.

And why do we use the word capture when talking about a photo? What else do we “capture”? The only thing I can think of is animals; things that are not meant to be caught, but meant to be free. What if the same is often true of our lives? What if our lives are not meant to be rigorously, religiously captured for documentation, but to be lived, and lived freely?

We have thousands of photos on our phones (literally, thousands), only to be taken and often, never looked at again.

What if there are more worthwhile options available to us: printing the photos to hold and enjoy and share. Or not taking a photo in the first place, but slowing down to be still in a moment.

For all of history, we have wondered at the beauty of life. We have slowed down to soak it in, not rushed to reach for our phones. And the traditional mediums of documenting our lives--painting, journaling, letter-writing--allowed time to reflect and appreciate.

"I’m very concerned that our society is much more interested in information than wonder.” - Fred Rogers

What if instead of collecting more information, we chose more wonder?