Seth's Blog : An eroding sense of wonder

An eroding sense of wonder

We live in a science fiction universe.

A $20 dose of penicillin was priceless a century ago.

The five cents (a nickel!) we spend to light our home might have been the sort of thing we needed to trade an hour of labor for a few generations ago.

The ability to press a button and talk to anyone, by video, anywhere on the planet–it wasn’t even discussed until recently, and now it’s essentially free.

“Compared to what?” is a powerful question. Comparing the miracles of right now to what our parents expected is a useful way to find context and avoid ennui.

It’s easy to get hooked on the miracle of the moment, and to imagine that the next miracle must be even more amazing. And at the same time, we can take a hard look at the real problems people face and decide that no miracle is enough.

But wonder is a choice, and we can find it if we look for it.