The Global State of Awe
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when you think
about the state of the planet
do you feel
when you think about our global society
our humans our animals and our
environment
what do you feel
when you imagine the voices of the
future generations
that are going to inhabit planet earth
what do you hear
we were talking a lot
about the change that needs to happen
and dinosaurs were being mentioned
they were wiped out by an asteroid
well this time around
the asteroid is us that we need to
change
and not only do we need to change we
need to change fast
and then we need to change globally
so what is our angle
what is our unique perspective when
we’re looking at this change
for the past years we have been
researching studying designing and
producing experiences around the globe
and paul and i are currently working on
a book
that is not only about how to create
extraordinary moments for people
but we have been trying to understand
could we
use experiences signed in a way to guide
people towards personal growth and
long-lasting
human transformation out of all those
experiences
we have been particularly fascinated
by one imagine
right now you’re floating
400 kilometers above planet earth
you find yourself on the international
space station
and you’re looking out the window
what do you see
astronauts that had this experience
changed in a very powerful way
not only did the experience of seeing
planet earth
from space change the way they look at
themselves
at others and at the environment
but it also transformed them
into planetary protectors and this is
the overview effect
has been coined by frank white based on
interviews that he did
with astronauts that have seen earth
from outer space or from the surface of
the moon
today we have prepared an auditory
experience for you
an experience that is
hopefully providing you with a very
small glimpse of what the astronauts go
through
when they travel all the way to orbit
and then
come back to earth again when astronauts
go to space
they go through years and months of
flight preparation
so before our space shuttle launch today
we need to prepare you for launch
now i would like to invite you simply
lean back
and close your eyes
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we will let you know when you can open
your eyes again
if at any point you feel overwhelmed
with emotion then no there’s a way out
of it
just open your eyes and you will be safe
also what is important to remember
try to lean in really go into the
experience and just remember
to breathe be brave and just
embrace what you’re feeling before
lunch
we need to ground ourselves so
make yourself comfortable in your chair
sit a little straighter
let’s all take a deep breath in
and a deep breath out
feel the spine on the chair
hands on your knees on your lap
and the feet firmly grounded
to the floor tedx
we’re ready for launch
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so
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so
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foreign
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um
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uh
welcome back
you can now slowly open your eyes or
take off your eye masks
we’ve landed
so let’s all take a deep breath
in to ground ourselves
and a deep breath out
the astronaut edgar mitchell
describes his space flight experience
with the words explosion of awareness
an overwhelming sense of oneness
and interconnectedness an ecstasy
a state and a moment of epiphany
when we look into what astronauts go
through
in terms of the emotions they feel
there is one very strong emotion that
share
all of the astronauts when they go to
space and that
is awe
you might today have felt a bit of that
emotion or in one moment
in your life what is all aw is curiosity
it is also maybe a sense of fear a sense
of wonder
and one strong sense of vastness
so what does this mean for us as
experienced designers and for the
experience that you just had
astronauts when they return back home
they usually have a shift of mind and
heart
a change of the way they look at things
and they become
oftentimes environmentalists and
protectors
of the earth
the emotion of awe is at the core
of this transformation
why do we think that we need to travel
to space to experience this emotion
all is much closer to home than we might
all think
we just need to be open to experience it
and to see it
it could be as simple as hearing the
wind on a stormy day
sitting at the beach and hearing the
seagulls flying over you
or going to the forest and hearing the
raindrops fall
it could be as simple as any
sound the real voyage of discovery
consists not in seeking new landscapes
but in having new eyes
and i feel in a way we might be able to
relate to that
so what does this mean for us what can
we do about it
as experienced designers as scientists
as individuals barbara paul what can you
do
and how can we move forward from that
for our global collective shared
challenges
what if we all come together
to build sort of a global bell that
catapults us
into a global state of awe
how did it feel if we all
paused
when you think of the state of the
planet
right now how do you feel
when you think of our society our
animals
humans and the environment right now
what do you see
when you imagine the voices
of the future generations that are going
to inhabit
our earth what do you hear
thank you thank you