Accepting two mysterious faces
By Chuck Wystner
I love words wonder. It is a verb with two distinct meanings and has two different effects on how we live.
The first thing I infuse with “Wonder.1” is broad-eyed adoration. It’s the feeling when something beautiful, unexpected or strange stops us in our truck.
The second, “Wonder.2,” begins with the question, “I wonder…” – A spark of curiosity that tweaks us towards new possibilities.
As life unfolds, deadlines, routines and responsibilities build up. But I still remember childhood moments when questions rolled freely and surprise felt magical. Our ability to both types of wonders does not disappear. Our curiosity never fades.
Wonder.1 is not naive
Recently, while driving through New England, I was hit by the vibrant greenery of spring trees. Senro sparkled in the sun, forming a living mosaic. That’s a strange experience. We can’t force it, but we can remain open to it.
We often associate wonder with childhood, but the cleverest among us find a way to go back to it. Baudelaire called the genius “a free recovery of childhood.” Einstein said imagination is more important than knowledge. Newton saw himself as a boy on the shore, and sometimes a vast ocean of truth stretched out before him, picking up adorable shell.
These were not misty dreamers. They were disciplined thinkers who accepted what they didn’t know. Their wonders were naive or nostalgic – it was essential.
We may not solve the universal mysteries, but we all navigate complexity. Wonder.1 asks you to loosen the grip with certainty, pay attention and look forward to thunder.
Wonder.2: Antidote to resignation
My client, Sarah, lost her job. As a major earner with two children, she was devastated. Anger and resentment fulfilled her thoughts until she explored what was beneath it: fear. She was afraid that she could not provide it to her family. From there, we shifted to possibilities. She created a list of ways her skills could help other companies. She returned with 15 ideas. That’s strange. 2 in action.
Unlike Wonder.1, Wonder.2 is something we can nurture. It often starts when we feel stuck and ask, “What else is possible?”
We were all there – jobs we dislike, relationships we don’t understand, or losses we didn’t choose. At those moments, we often resist reality. “This is not fair,” declares, taking responsibility and declares. That’s a resignation. It shuts down creativity. It locks us into non-acceptance.
The shift to Wonder.2 comes from radical acceptance – choosing to stop fighting it rather than preferring or agreeing to what happened. That shift creates space for Wonder.2. It is a spiritual reset that invites us to learn, adapt and move forward.
Wonder.2 is not an emotion. It is an openness that softens our righteousness and eases the need to create room for our imagination.
Wonder’s Spiritual Friend: Hope
The current roots of Wonder.1. Wonder.2 opens up the future. Together, they bring us to hope.
Hope is neither naive nor blind. Not all pretending to be fine. It is about staying open, keeping up, looking, and deciding to believe something new will emerge.
Author of Maria Popova Bird Yearbook, Written: “Hope is a movement of the heart, not an emotion or idea, but a choice…a choice that doesn’t suffer from vision, which is despair.”
The phrase – short vision – is exactly what a lack of wonder looks like. It’s no wonder. 1We lose the ability to impress. It’s no wonder. 2We stop imagining alternatives.
Samuel Beckett said that clearly: “Please try again. Fail again. Fail well.” His advice is not about Pep, but an invitation to stay in a game that is supported by curiosity and courage.
Cultivate wonder
Wonder.1 is spontaneous. It shows whether we are paying attention or not. Wonder.2 practices. Like any other way of thinking, it is purposefully reinforced. Here are some ways to invite more wonders into your life:
W.1 – Pause and caution.
Mysteries don’t coexist well with speed. Slow down. Go outside. Look around. The smallest details – the shadows of the shift, the bird’s call – can awaken us.
W.1 – Make something for no reason.
Paint, doodles, gardens, wonders. Let your hands and instincts guide. Wonders love creativity that doesn’t chase the outcome.
W.1 and W.2 – Become a beginner.
Try something new. Ask me a question. Let go of what you need to be good. Beginners have noticed more – and it is a place where wonders thrive.
W.2 – Question: “What else is possible?”
If things feel tight or limited, spread the lens. You can also unlock fresh energy by naming some new options.
W.2 – Be interested in your feelings.
If you feel frustrated, pause. Question: What is this? What’s important here? Have you not noticed yet?
W.2 – Lend the attention of someone else.
Talk to friends, children, and strangers. Ask what they are looking at and what you wonder. New perspectives inspire new insights.
These are not tasks to master. They are invitations for you to take a slow, slower look, deeper, and life surprises you.
Closed Reflection
In a world that often feels loud and overwhelming, wonder is not a luxury. It’s a lifeline. Wonder reconnects us to a realistic and possible, whether it arrives like we adore or grows quietly by curiosity. It reminds us that we are not stuck, not finished, not alone. A respectfulness awakens us what already. Curiosity tweaks what we can do. And between the two, hope is waiting for us – stable, quiet, ready to walk with us.
Wonder doesn’t fix everything. But it can change the way we encounter everything.
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Chuck Wisner spent 30 years as a trusted advisor, coach and teacher in communication, human dynamics and leadership excellence. He has worked with leaders and teams at Fortune 200 companies. He also trained in mediation and worked as a senior mediator in the Harvard Mediation Program at Harvard Law School, and was later associated with the Organisational Learning Center at MIT. His book, The Art of Conscious Conversation – Change the way we speak, listen and interact (BK Publishers, October 22, 2022) explore ways to raise our awareness and become more aware in conversation. See more details at chuckwisner.com.
Source: Spiritual Media Blog – www.spiritualmediablog.com
