Dacher Keltner

I mean, music's a classic example, gospel music.

Yes.

As good as any, right?

And it astounds me and it speaks to how ready we are to experience awe, which is you can go hear music that means a lot to you,

And within a millisecond, you are having goosebumps, you're tearing up, you're synchronizing with other people.

And it is an out of body experience.

You leave the self and become part of this collective and you're hugging each other and crying and proposing camping trips.

Yeah, you know, I was lucky to be raised by parents who really cultivated a sense of wonder.

You know, Rachel Carson, the great environmentalist, teach your child to wonder.

And I had a younger brother, Rolf, who was a companion in awe, and we...

You know, we grew up listening to music in the late sixties and Laurel Canyon and wandering the foothills of the Sierras.

And we did all of the awe inspiring things in life together.

And when he passed away first, it was pure grief and panic and anxiety.

And the moment of his passing was awe inspiring.

You know, seeing something transcendent about something there in his spirit, seeing the space around him as he was leaving reveal new dimensions out there.

I'm a scientist.

You know, I didn't know what to make of this.

I had no religious background.

And then the big question, which is how is he gonna stay with me?

And through grief, I heard his voice, I felt his hand on my back, he was saying things to me, and he changed how I look at the universe, that there are other dimensions that we don't understand, that beings who leave us can be with us forever, and that there's a cycle to life, and that's one of the wonders of life.