Awesome Things

awe·some

ˈôsəm/

adjective

1. extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear.

   "the awesome power of the atomic bomb"

   synonyms:

   breathtaking, awe-inspiring, magnificent, wonderful, amazing, stunning,staggering, imposing, stirring, impressive

Awesome is one of those words that defies its own meaning.

How can seven letters convey the grandeur of a thunderstorm, the vastness of the plains, the beauty and terror of the sea?  It can't.

People are big on fish tales - always trying to outdo each other with the better narrative.  So, we've come to use the word awesome a lot - so much that maybe it's lost some of its capacity to inspire or intimidate.

We're also big on simplification; we want our narratives as non-cumbersome as possible.  Simple plans, simple solutions, sound-bites, old stories retold in new ways.

When we put our blinders on, though, we are ignoring the true gift of humanity, the thing that has driven us since before the written word - the ability to see beyond the cave and wonder at the light beyond.

That's why I love this video, especially at the 1:08 - 1:10 mark.  The editors knew what they were doing - by amping up the volume, what had been a cute experience instantly becomes something more, something transcendent.

A group of people got together, dared to be different, made music, and made other people smile.  They impacted those lives, changed their moods for the better.

People did that.

To me, that's awesome.  But then, I'm pretty easy to impress.