Do you believe in miracles? Have you ever witnessed one?
The lines often blur between what constitutes miracle, coincidence, synchronicity, and plain science. There are of course certain scientific principles that govern much of the universe, but even the purists out there can’t deny that life is remarkable and sometimes brings us beyond logic. In this week’s episode of “Holy Facts” on The Chopra Well, Gotham Chopra explores what it means to call something “miraculous,” starting with some bizarre phenomena in recent current events.
Before we go any further, let’s take a look at the enduring role of miracles in human history. Nearly every religious and spiritual tradition known to anthropologists has some kind of origin myth, characterized by a miraculous explanation for how the world and humankind came to be. It could be said that origin myths are, in fact, a defining feature of religion, setting it apart from other communal cultural systems. Whether the land grew off of a turtle’s back or an omnipotent Creator made all of existence in a matter of days, the origins of our world and species are the subject of countless miracle stories. (And that’s not to say that none of them is true, per se, but rather that we are no strangers to the miraculous.)
On a smaller scale, what about extraordinary occurrences in the everyday? Open the newspaper on a given day and you are bound to read about this miraculous recovery, or that unexplained phenomenon, or some synchronistic event, too wonderful and bizarre to even begin to dissect. How did a four-year-old in Colorado fall three stories and land on his feet? How, as Gotham describes, did a paralysed cyclist regain use of her legs after being struck by a car? 
A strictly science-minded person might say we just don’t know enough yet, but that science will certainly explain away the so-called “miraculous” in due time. Perhaps. But in the meantime, does it hurt to allow room in our worldviews for suspension of logic? By it’s very definition a miracle implies wonder, awe, and marvel. All things we could use more of in this age of skepticism.
As Gotham points out, our very ability to use logic and reason, invent technologies, and be aware of our own awareness are proof enough that the world is full of miracles. Existence, itself, is remarkable, whether we got here on a turtle’s back or evolved over billions of years from a single-celled organism.
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The post Wonder and Awe: Why We Need Miracles appeared first on Intent Blog.
