I was listening to a podcast that said that a sense of awe was an important ingredient in being happy. The happiest people periodically paused to marvel at something much bigger than themselves. Many get a sense of awe from nature, some from their spiritual beliefs, some from the accomplishments of others. There are many ways to get that sense of awe—we just have to stop, notice, and wonder.
Being new to NYC, I get a sense of awe looking at some of the huge and beautiful buildings as I walk the streets. I sometimes wonder how the city just exists and about all of the people and machinery that it takes for us to live, eat, work, be safe, get around and be entertained. We complain when things don’t work, but when you consider how complicated NYC is, I wonder how it ever works!
Monday night I attended a farewell for Andy Hamilton. Andy has been a wonderful president, but what really struck me was NYU itself. Not only that it’s a huge and complex institution centered in NYC with a presence on six continents, but how it is succeeding compared to other research universities. If you just look at the last 10 years NYU has become better academically, more diverse, more affordable, larger, tougher to get into, and does more research. Tens of thousands of people, all working together on a broad and vital mission can create a sense of awe when you think about it.
Since today is Star Wars Day…
