How Can We Better Experience The World?

We see a lot of information in the world. We can’t process all of it, so we have to filter. We only filter in the information that meshes with the way we think the world should work. This is how we often come to a conclusion like how swimming in the sea is dangerous as sharks will bite us in our butt and tear our limbs apart. Since all of us are keen to explain what we see and how the world works with our version of a narrative, inconsistencies between what we think should happen and what actually happens are buried.

Yet, the fact remains. Do you know that coconuts are actually deadlier than sharks? The first time I heard this, I laughed. It was a pretty decent joke, at least for me. The second time I heard this, I didn’t laughed. I immediately Googled it, and laughed at myself instead. This time, I was the joke.

Coconuts ARE deadlier than sharks.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announced that falling coconuts kill up to 25 times more people than sharks. Apparently, falling coconuts kill an approximate of 150 people on an annual basis. On the flip side, with over 400 species, only a small fraction of sharks such as White, Bull and Tiger sharks are infamous for unprovoked attacks. So… we actually have more reasons to worry about falling coconuts than being ferociously taken apart by a shark. It seems like many of our perspectives tend to be misguided by stories over statistics.

If this is the case, we might just be able to alter the way we see and experience things to the point where we can continually appreciate and admire them in awe.

I believe we go through a breathtaking “wow!” moment when we come in contact with something new. It might not be completely new, but it is new enough to cause little puff of joys floating above our hearts. It might be as simple as a new taste of popcorn. We might enjoy sweet popcorn for the longest time ever, but something magical happened when an accidental salted popcorn landed on the tip of our tongue. In that moment, we experience, appreciate and admire the feeling of awe.

It might also happen in a sport. We might enjoy playing badminton since young, but something magical happened when we held the tennis racket and smacked the heck out of the tennis ball for the first time. It is not necessarily the case that we will enjoy all new experiences, but most of them tend to bring a different flavour to our lives. When it is something new, we start to pay attention and immerse in the experience more. This makes the experience feel more lively and intense.

In the words of Albert Einstein, “He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.”

As much as possible, especially in cases where experiences are starting to become dull, we want to recreate the feeling of first-time experiences by looking for novel ways to revitalize our current experiences. This can be easily done to food. If we are getting sick of biting through our vegetables, we can make it into a puree instead. If we are getting bored of watching movies in the standard way, we can have a go at watching them with 3D glasses.

I believe this idea of novelty should also be extended to our relationships too. Both parties might have gotten into the repetitive cycle of work and family obligation. Both parties might just be plain bored with each other. As humans, we are attracted to novelty. When it wears off and familiarity takes over, there is bound to be some slip in satisfaction.

However, this doesn’t mean that it should remain this way till impending death reminds us to appreciate what and who we have.

Instead of trying out new things or things in a different way by ourselves, we can do it together as a pair. Sometimes the most meaningful relationship isn’t one that is grounded by a fixed set of policies and procedures. It may just be the case that the most meaningful relationship is one where one is keen to watch a new film, explore a new place, try a new sport and the other is willing to tag along to find out not simply about the new thing, but about the new self of his/her partner upon consumption of the new thing. Alternatively, you can do something simpler such as asking your partner if he or she knows that coconuts are actually deadlier than sharks. Try asking. You might just surprise your partner, or… be utterly surprised instead.