At the age of four, a thunder and lightning storm became a defining moment for Scott Russell Sanders. He felt “the tingle of a power that surges through bone and rain and everything … the force that animates nature and mind….” Using science he could explain what caused the thunder and lightning but not why the experience took on such meaning for him. Looking back on that moment, Sanders recognizes the feeling as “awe.” He says, “The search for communion with this power has run like a bright thread through all my days.” Using skillful prose to bring the ineffable into focus, Sanders guides the reader through other “why” questions – the ethical, political and spiritual struggles of his life. Continue reading A Private History of Awe