Radical Amazement
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Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (2nd from right) and
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the Selma March
When asked why he was marching with Dr. King, Heschel is reported as answering “I’m praying with my feet.
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One of the great influences on my life is Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. I am proud to be descended from the same Chassidic lineage as Rabbi Heschel, to count him as a great-uncle, and am sad that I never had the opportunity to meet him during his lifetime.
Heschel was a prolific and poetic writer in 5 different languages (The Sabbath, Man is not Alone, and God in Search of Man, are some of his most famous English works. His most influential work may well be his “Torah from Heaven in the light of the generations” originally written in Hebrew and only recently translated into English for the first time). He chose the language for each work based on the audience he thought most needed to receive the teaching.
Heschel proffered a philosophy commonly referred to as the “Philosophy of Radical Amazement”. A gross but inspirational oversimplification of Radical Amazement is to be so in awe of every aspect of the world and its creator that one cannot help but do one’s part to make it the best it can be.
This philosophy may be simple, but living by it is quite difficult. The more comfortable we become, the easier it is for us to lose our sense of awe and wonder, and therefore our commitment to our responsibility for the life with which we are blessed.
Treasuring children and traveling to witness the grandeur of the earth on which we live are two of the most effective ways that I strive to retain and enhance my sense of awe. The photo montages that follow are part of my continuous attempt to retain this Radical Amazement, awe, gratitude, and commitment.
I hope you enjoy some of the images that have most inspired me, and that I have been privileged to capture on film (well, digital images actually)…
