Our Capacity for Wonder

In today’s post I wax philosophical. I apologize in advance.

I’ve been reading John Green’s book The Anthropocene Reviewed. If you don’t know John Green, he’s the author of some well received young adult novels including The Fault in Our Stars, Turtles all the Way Down and Looking for Alaska, among others. Most have been made into movies or streaming series. He’s also the co-creator, along with his brother Hank Green of the Crash Course videos on YouTube, along with many other ventures. They’re busy guys.

The Anthropocene Reviewed is a fun book that got its start as a podcast. In the book (and podcast) John takes a look various artifacts and effects of our current geological era, referred to by some as the Anthropocene, and gives them a rating of 1 to 5 stars. Some topics covered include Diet Dr. Pepper, Canada Geese and Piggly Wiggly.

One chapter that really made me reflect was entitled Our Capacity for Wonder. Mr. Green swiped the phrase from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. The thing that really resonates with me is the idea that we have a capacity for wonder, but that it’s only a capacity. Like we have the capacity to run marathons or play a musical instrument. It’s not a given. Our “wonder” is a muscle that needs to be exercised.

“For a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder.”

― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

This got me thinking about how we can start to take things for granted. Things that once filled us with awe are, through familiarity, rendered less potent. And my mind turned to an idea that I’ve been having a lot recently. And that is just how amazing this thing that we do is. 2024 marks the 15 year anniversary of Tenkara USA’s arrival and Daniel Galhardo’s popular introduction of tenkara to America.

And so it seems a good time to step-back and refocus and exercise my capacity for wonder. Because it is an amazing thing! It really is! Though I can be guilty of losing sight of this from time to time. Just think about it. Focus your attention for a few minutes. Take a moment to really consider it.

If you come to tenkara from rod-and-reel fly fishing, then maybe you’ve got a better perspective than someone that came to tenkara first. Think about all of that gear. Rod, reel, backing, line, leader. Think about the setup required. The initial setup of the reel with backing, line and leader. Then the set-up every time you go out; putting the rod together and stringing the line through the guides. It really is a pain in the butt. And then think about the shroud of mystery that seems to cover and confuse fly fishing. It can be made to seem very complicate and intimidating.

And now think of tenkara and tenkara gear. Basically a stick and a string. And we set out on the water with that and we catch fish! A lot of fish (in case you’re counting). And we do it in a really efficient, elegant and beautiful way. Being less encumbered with gear our experience is so direct. And did I mention how well it all works? That’s worth repeating. It really works.

Every once in a while I remember how refreshing and invigorating tenkara was for me when I first came upon it. It is really very amazing and it can challenge my capacity for wonder. If you’ve taken the plunge and have gone deep or if you’re just getting your feet wet, give yourself a pat on the back for me.

I could go on and on with thoughts on how amazing it is. But that’s your job. I ask that the next time you’re out on the water take a moment to reflect. Think for a moment about how cool it is that you can head out to fish with so little and yet achieve so much. Reacquaint yourself with the self that just discovered tenkara and exercise your capacity for wonder.

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