Up: [[Savour]] Related: [[Mystery]] Created: 2022-12-11 ## Defining Wonder Davis defines wonder as *a heightened state of consciousness and emotion brought about by something unexpected.* (p. 43) It doesn’t have to be positive emotion, although most dictionary definitions suggest that it is. ## Six Facets of Wonder (According to Davis) Davis has a [[Metaphor]] for each. 1. Openness — metaphor of wide-sky — This is the Zen concept of [[Shoshin, Beginner's Mind]], although Davis doesn’t acknowledge that. 2. [[Curiosity]] — metaphor of questioning rebel — The creative mindset 3. Bewilderment — metaphor of deep woods — The feeling of disorientation that, if you stay with it, can lead to creative and personal breakthroughs 4. Hope — metaphor of rainbow — Feeling of possibility amid uncertainty. 5. Connection — metaphor of flock of birds — What’s felt when wonder lets us connect with and be supported by others. 6. Admiration — metaphor of mirror — Davis says this builds on the other facets because it is an emotion focused on others. Huh? Davis’s claim is that *Tracking admiration as a facet of wonder reminds us how to see ourselves as sources of wonder for others.* These facets are not working for me, and are a major reason why I see the book as lightweight fluff. I think the problem is with the term ‘facets’ which implies aspects or parts. But many of the above are not aspects of wonder. What does work is to say, if you feel curiosity/connection/hope whatever, that’s a good time to look for the wonder, to look to see if there’s something unexpected in the situation. ## DOSE This is the acronym Davis encourages as a way to track wonder. It stands for D — Detect when you’re disconnecting, distracted, depressed. O — Open up, pause, and feel. S — Seek out the wonder in the situation. E — Extend the wonder by reflecting on it, making, sharing Again, I think he’s got the wrong language. This isn’t tracking the occurrence of wonder. This is a way to shift your attention towards whatever wonder might be in the situation. > [!User] Jeffrey Davis, *Tracking Wonder* (2021)