The office of measurable wonder
Page 105CHAPTER 4
The office of measurable wonder
A room inventories spiritual feelings; a participant with an ordinary afternoon is asked to retake the test.
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1 And I shit you not, the keepers of a gathering designed a form for measuring wonder.
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2 It contained boxes for tears, warmth, trembling, peace, and a sensation that words could not describe.
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3 A participant marked: I heard the bell and enjoyed sitting down.
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4 The keeper asked whether she wished to try again.
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5 She answered: Was there something wrong with the first hearing?
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6 He said that others had reported profound experiences.
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7 And she asked whether their experience required hers to become profound also.
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8 The Office of Excellent Intentions proposed additional lighting, followed by a survey concerning the effectiveness of the lighting.
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9 But the keeper paused.
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10 He set aside the form and asked whether the participant wanted anything changed for comfort or access.
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11 She asked for a chair with a back.
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12 The chair was supplied, and the second bell was heard.
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13 Neither the chair nor the bell established a theory of the universe.
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14 Yet the afternoon was worth having, and nobody was required to be astonished.
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Experience is not a performance review.
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TRY IT Notice what happened without requiring a preferred feeling.
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READING CONVERSATION Letters 4, 8–9; pp. 9–10, 17–20.