B.

Three critical thought papers on the following concepts:

KIRK SCHNEIDER VIEW ON AWE

Kirk Schneider takes the lead in the advancement of Existential-Humanistic Therapy and
Existential-Integrative Therapy. This approach teaches people to be more open to new
possibilities and discovery in their daily lives and to be sensitive and appreciative to oneself and
others. The theme of this approach is based on “awe” which he defined as the humility and
wonder or the sense of adventure towards living. Kirk believes that awe is a beautiful kind of
dimension that we can embrace as human beings because it is like a sense of fully engaging and
participating in life experiences. Awe is a powerful way of lifting individuals out of the narrow
identifications they can get in living. This narrow identification refers to the negative judgments
of others or the discernments that are thrown to us which we can constantly see or experience
in our daily lives. An example of this would be like “you’re ugly, you’re too fat, you’re stupid”
and some different judgments that we deal with. One of the factors that might influence this is
the advancement of generation. We are already part of a high-tech society or living in a high-
tech world which doesn’t allow individuals to have a larger experience in life. Moreover, it
hinders connection and interaction. The sense of “awe” takes us beyond all of those
circumstances, it takes us beyond all these human judgments. If people can learn to connect
with existence which includes tolerating each other’s differences and respecting each other’s
opinions, then judgments can be avoided since there is a fullness to that connection.

Furthermore, the sense of awe acknowledges the idea that in life there is always
sadness, tragedy, and failures but at the same time, it also recognizes that there is so much
more from that situations and we are so much more. To me, this is a beautiful reminder which
every individual could reflect and relate to and hopefully apply it in their lives. Also, if we can
tremendously open the mystery of being, the capacity of fully experiencing life then we could
appreciate how awesome and meaningful all of it. When we can tune in to this kind of level
then we can recognize a much bigger picture than the oppressive judgments or identifications
to which most of us fall for.
 As per Kirk, we need to take a pause and make time to realize what we are doing, what
we are probing, inquiring or discovering. To fully tap this dimension, this should be a lifetime
process of experiencing a sense of humility, wonder, and adventure.

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