Jan 21 2009
Was it the song or the psychological name that came first?
Some commentators, friends, and associates made note yesterday that during the swearing-in of President Barack Obama (ooh, goosebumps! sorry… but really that’s what this is post is about. The goosebumps, that is, not idolization of our new president), the president-of-transition goofed. I didn’t notice it because I could not concentrated beyond the din of my eyes and mouth trying their hardest to not sound like blubbering idiots.
But what really happened there, or so I believe, is that I experienced elevation . And not, ironically, of the U2/Bono variety. Or, maybe…
“Who’s That Guy?” by Elycefeliz via Flickr
Perhaps you felt it too. Roger Ebert wrote a post on it recently (before the inauguration) and he mentioned election night and how Oprah was so elated that (paraphrasing) she used the man in front of her as a giant Kleenex. Now, never mind questions of class and status (from what I understand, Oprah uses and dispenses common people like me and you as replaceable household objects every day of the week), what she felt - according to researchers and psychologists fronted by University of California-Berkeley professor of psychology Dacher Keltner and University of Virginia professor of moral psychology Jonathan Haidt - was common that day among millions and millions of Americans watching Obama’s acceptance speech from Chicago, and then watching his inauguration from DC.
Haidt calls it “elevation”. Which is really a spiritual or relgious term. Only now, however, is it being taken seriously by psychologists, who have just given it a realm within its own emotional state (new motto: “Emotional States: Not just for the negatives anymore”). There is not much new here except for the fact that it is being studied as a science, but even so, I believe that it brings to bear three things that are particularly relevant to parents and that we should bare in mind:
1) Elevation has a washing effect. It helps to clear out the negativity and cynicism which we drag around with us. I know that being a parent (really being anybody, but specifically being a parent) can be taxing and trying from the extra responsibilities. And sometimes we bring in that load to bear on our family. Going through an occasional emotional wash helps to restore a sense of balance, a sense that everything’s gonna be okay after all!
2) Although in the heat of elevation, one feels that heaven and earth will move as a result of the transcendence of the moment, apparently the effects are short-term and not very long-lasting. Which means that (um, duh?) we shouldn’t rely on feelings alone to produce active conviction. If we are to make change in the world around us for the betterment of our children’s lives, we must convince with more than just the heart or even by pulling heart-strings. We must attack from a pragmatic, tactile, mental and emotional state - an emotional message of uplift alone won’t do it.
3) You cannot control elevation. That’s like trying to make yourself happy all the time or, more apt parallel, pumping up the economy. To do a Yogiphorism: It’s not real if it’s fake. Sure, I could make myself cry every night if I watched “Extreme Home Makeover” religiously, but that becomes shallow, and the elevation is not true anymore. Once it ceases to be true, it is worthless. However, although we cannot control going into a state of elevation, we can prepare for it, mostly by looking at the world through the wonder that our children view it by. My daughter, for instance, is only eighteen months old, so she constantly looks at the world through sheer amazement, often announcing to her environment that she finds it to be worthy of a “Wooh!” or a “Wow!” What kind of eyes and ears should we gather about us when we are around them to enjoy what they enjoy? How can the world be a better place as we become more receptive to what it has to offer us and more attentive to the beauties, miracles (and dangers) that lie on every branch and around every corner?
Having said all that (informational source ), now it’s time to rawk to transcendence.
