Why do we love staring out over water?

Over the past week, I was fortunate enough to explore the magical and varied landscapes of the wonderful country of Jordan. Its lands are immense, and its waters are enchanting.

It continuously finds new ways to speak to you in deathly still sentences. Whether staring out over never-ending stretches of desert as the sun bakes down, or into the depths of the Dead Sea, where nothing lives, a silence settles about you like a soft scarf.

The scenes were indeed beautiful. But they stirred something else within me. Something more powerful.

There’s little I find more calming than staring out over foreboding bodies of water. Or vast expanses of land. It quietens the chaotic thoughts of routine. Perhaps you know what I mean? Do you have your own space or piece of this world that does, or has done, the same for you?

Have you ever asked yourself, why? What is it about these scenes that holds such power? More often than not, they are beautiful. But their grip feels more intense than the simple aesthetics of a view. A flower can be beautiful, but not immense like an ocean.

And then an answer to this question came from an idea by the 18th century philosopher, Edmund Burke. And I’ve never forgotten it.

The Beautiful, according to Burke, is what is well-formed and aesthetically pleasing, whereas the Sublime is what has the power to compel and destroy us.

Beauty is a form of inaction, or casual enjoyment, for our minds; you find it and enjoy it, but it doesn’t necessarily stimulate your thoughts.

The Sublime forces the mind to swell; it’s a more real and actionable type of aesthetic beauty. It’s visceral and alive. There’s a power within it.

Looking out over a huge expanse of ocean or lake calms us. But only because we know, deep within us, that the power and unfathomable nature contained within that sublime body of water is enough to overwhelm us.

These special moments we feel, these ‘Sublime’ experiences, require us to perceive something powerful beyond measure. Something vast. It could be an ocean, or a mountain range, or a huge landscape of seeming nothingness. These objects have the potential to stir fear, but aren’t actually threatening.

Knowing that there’s something out there vastly more powerful and immense than we can ever be, and beyond our understanding, does two things:

1. It reminds us of how small we are.

2. It reminds us that we will never be able to comprehend or make sense of everything.

And both are responsible for that feeling of calmness, but in different ways.

Recognising how small we are gives us perspective. It gives us permission to realise that, in the grand scheme of things, our biggest mistakes will fade away. That nothing really matters. And that frees us to take on something which otherwise might intimidate or scare us.

Recognising that we cannot know everything reminds us that it’s ok to not know everything. When we look out over an ocean, it is impossible for us to ever know everything about what happens below its surface. We cannot count every ripple, we cannot measure every wave, we cannot contain or control all that water even if we wanted to. It’s too vast. It’s too much. It’s beyond our measure. And that’s ok. We’re not meant to.

If you’ve ever felt the pressure of needing to know everything, or expectations that you should have the answer - go and look at an ocean. Go and stare into the mountains.

Surround yourself with unfathomable vastness.

Because it will remind you that there’s too much in this world for any one person to take in. And when we acknowledge that, it gives us permission to give ourselves a break.

We’re not expected to know it all. We’re not able. It’s impossible.

The oceans know that. The mountains know that. But we forget it all too easily.

What’s required of us it to take a break every now and then, to lift our heads from our daily routines of minute details and buzzing distractions, to watch and listen for long enough to remind us that it’s ok not to know. That it’s ok to give in to the power of the vastness of the world around us. We need to know and recognise when we need to step into the Sublime.

The sublime causes a shift in perspective and understanding; it shapes how we view ourselves in the world. And in doing so, brings us the calmness we need.

Oceans, mountains, endless landscapes filtering into the horizon are all nature’s way of giving us answers to the relentless pace and pressures of modern life.

Go find your sublime. Define it for yourself. And make it part of your routine.