Has Americans lost their ability to be amazed by the miraculous?

Question

Has the wonder of modern technology overwhelmed us and caused us to be unimpressed by the otherwise spectaular reality that is all around us?

Answer 1

I sure hope not....but yeah, I think it has. I also think people are so de-sensitized by all this bullshit that our country is just a bunch of whiney, look away, greedy, muffin tops!

Answer 2

Modern technology IS miraculous, too! Waddaya mean?

Have you seen what's inside a computer?? See all the miracles the sit on that motherboard and ever wonder in awe as to HOW that thing operates??

But I DO KNOW exactly what you mean when you go out to smell the roses, and bask in the meadow to grasp the majesty of a forest, or have a panoramic view below from any mountain, or wonder about the unexplored depths of the oceans...

We are indeed surrounded by God's Works: all the miracles of Nature and Man's gift of intelligence.

Peace be with you!

Answer 3

Well, first you have to look at what things people consider miracles and what they don't. And this is not uniform! It's not universal.

This is my thought on this:

Stories about how life began, stories about the origins of the universe, the stars and sun and moon and the earth, often start with similar phrases. These stories are not really about how the universe came into being, though. They are about us. And we tell our stories about ourselves in many different tongues.

In our modern language of science we may talk about small things attracting other small things and combining to form bigger things. We may discuss chaos theory and “wild attractant” molecules, natural selection and evolution rather than Gods and Goddesses who spoke the universe into being or formed humans from river mud.

And, still, we humans are worshippers. A sense of the sacred suffuses any story about our beginning. The stories we tell about how we came into being touch our sense of wonder, and we are filled with awe. For no matter how scientific the terms we use, our innermost selves tell us that these ARE miracles:
that things exist at all,
that life exists at all
and that life has become conscious of itself.

Our holy places are everywhere, for we are surrounded by miracles. And it is in our recognition of the miraculous that our image of God is formed. Which particular miracles you can see AS miracles determine what face God wears for you. If your central miracle, the miracle that defines you as a culture or a person, is that humankind is distinct from the rest of creation, the face of God you see will not look anything like the face of God seen by people whose central miracle is that the same life-force infuses rocks, trees, animals, stars and humans.


For me, every advancement in knowledge of how our Universe works is more information about the Divine, because for me, the Divine is manifest in the universe, embodied in the natural world. Thus every time we understand more about how the natual world works, my understanding of the Divine increases and I see more and more miracles.

Answer 4

Yes!

I was once very obsessed with a game. That game had a rare plant in it called Nirnroot, which I had to collect. So once(in real life) I saw a plant that looked similar and thought "thats a fine specimen"...and then burst out laughing.

Answer 5

i dont think so. I guess americans are the ONLY ONES who are talking about UFOs and greys and abductions, etc.

Answer 6

Theres no such thing as a miracle dude.

Answer 7

or maybe we all don't take LSD.