Have you ever heard the saying, “awe-inspired reverence”? I have many times, and I associate it with feeling a profound sense of respect or admiration for something I can’t quite wrap my mind around. This is how I’ve experienced God from my youth…mostly through words, concepts, and of course nature. There is nothing that projects feelings of majesty for me quite like a thunderstorm, and majestic is exactly how I perceive God.

I know, awe isn’t a virtue in the classical sense, but it’s certainly a moral emotion-one that enriches and supports the development of virtues. It acts as both a pathway to virtue, and an indication of a sensitive, awakened spirit. I think of it as a virtue-adjacent.

Awe is the hush that falls over you at the edge of a canyon, where silence becomes a language and space stretches farther than thought. It’s the sudden stillness when the sky opens with stars too numerous to name, and for a moment, you forget yourself. Awe doesn’t ask for understanding—it demands presence. It knocks gently at the door of your ordinary life, reminding you that the world is vast, and you are small, but not insignificant. In awe, fear softens into wonder, time slows, breath deepens, and something ancient stirs inside you: reverence, humility, a widening. It is not the answer, but an invitation. Awe is like a spark of divinity inviting you to be, to become, to reach higher heights and deeper depths within your own self.

Researchers have shown how the experience of awe influences prosocial behaviors, such as generosity, and that awe can make people more cooperative, ethical, and community-minded—suggesting it helps fuel moral growth, even if it’s not a virtue itself. (Piff et. al, 2015). Like reverence or wonder, awe keeps us curious, respectful, and open-hearted. These qualities aren’t always labeled as “virtues” in a formal sense, but they are core to a flourishing moral life.

In the commoning weeks, I will be focusing on books that have the potential to foster a sense of awe in children, and I hope you will continue to check in periodically to review each new find. Happy readings to you and your little people.

Piff, P. K., Dietze, P., Feinberg, M., Stancato, D. M., & Keltner, D. (2015). Awe, the small self, and prosocial behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108(6), 883–899. doi:10.1037/pspi0000018.