Opinion: We need a revival of awe, all over, as this pandemic persists

We hear so little in the news to uplift us, but there are everyday wonders above, below and among us.

Michael Bugeja
Guest columnist

On Feb. 24, an American Airlines pilot in route to Phoenix saw an unidentified flying object whiz by at enormous speed, prompting him to radio, “Do you have any targets up here? We just had something go over the top of us that — I hate to say this — looked like a long cylindrical object.”

A blogger accidently intercepted the communication, uploaded to YouTube.

But the incident barely made news. Consumed with the usual journalism fare, we heard about Capitol security officers to testify before Congress, Joe Biden to fight climate change, Donald Trump to speak at a Conservative convention, and Cabinet nominees to be confirmed.

One wonders how journalism would cover an encounter of the third kind with a big-eyed tiny-mouthed oval-headed visitor foretelling a wondrous future for humankind. Would CNN and Fox News still lead with analyses affirming worst suspicions about Biden and Trump to fervent target audiences?

This op ed is dedicated to rekindling awe in short supply because of COVID-19 and divisive politics in a post-presidential election year.

Awe above

Thanks to NASA, we all hitched a ride with the Perseverance Mars rover and watched its astonishing landing on the red planet. We got great photos instantaneously and could hear what it sounds like on earth’s twin.

Ponder this: Scientists and engineers launched a one-ton nuclear-powered vehicle on a seven-month 300-million mile journey, reducing speed from 12,500 miles per hour to a bull’s eye soft landing.

The rover will search for ancient alien life.

If that’s not enough, astronomers discovered exoplanet K2-18b, about twice the size of earth, with liquid water and possible habitable conditions. There may be such life in our solar system within the liquid oceans of icy moons: Jupiter’s Europa, Ganymede and Callisto or Saturn’s Enceladus and Titan. What would such life look like and when might we know?

Sooner than you might think. NASA has a planned mission to Europa no later than 2025. But you probably haven’t read much about that in the news.

So, think about buying a telescope and taking up stargazing — great for social distancing — and marveling at the twinkling canopy above us. There are several astronomy clubs in the state. Join one.

Awe below

There’s wonder, too, in the canopy below us in our stupendously rich soil. If we had full-time farm editors, we might have heard about record corn yields. Six Iowa counties surpassed 200 bushels per acre; had the derecho not occurred, the entire state would have approached a record 203 bushels average yield.   

Hat’s off to agricultural science.

Farmers have stories to tell. Like the rest of us, they coped with COVID-19 and a host of other hurdles and still managed to persevere and prosper.

Iowa is more than farmland. There are dozens of lakes and acres of woodlands, some of which now need replenishing — a perfect volunteer service project.

The Department of Natural Resources can help Iowans replace threes lost to the derecho. Trees reduce soil erosion, lower heating and cooling costs, and remove chemicals from the air. They also serve as windbreaks and provide habitat for wildlife.

Awe among

Our state also is rich in wildlife. Did you know several species are making a comeback, including falcons, otters, bobcats, wild turkeys and brook trout? You also might have noticed more trumpet swans than usual — flocks of them now in area lakes, especially at Lake Ada Hayden in Ames.

Many of us are housebound, but that may end in due time.

Because of Operation Warp Speed, vaccines are being distributed in Iowa. We mourn the horrific toll of the pandemic; but we also marvel at companies producing millions of doses in record time with ultra-high effectiveness.

Boosters against variants also are on the horizon.

Iowans, especially health care workers and educators, are unsung heroes.

One year ago, Iowa’s public universities closed because of the pandemic. Instructors performed admirably, working around the clock to master new software during Spring Break. (No break for them this year.) By fall, 72% of classes were online as thousands worked from home, absorbing increased utility bills, buying supplies, and refurbishing home offices with desks and technology.

Hundreds now conduct “blended” classes in person and online, leading to record levels of exhaustion. But still, they carry on.

It’s winter in Iowa, and by March, even in non-pandemic years, some of us contract cabin fever. We gaze out windows and wait existentially for spring thaw and bouquet colors of daffodils and crocuses.

A red-bellied woodpecker stops on a structure.

TO READERS: Because of an editing error, a previous version of the caption above misidentified the bird species.

Want to see some colors? Sprinkle bird seed by those windows. You may be surprised at the species that visit. You’re apt to see red-bellied woodpeckers, cardinals, blue jays and multi-colored warblers.

Join an Iowa bird-watching club.

Before you know it, robins will visit. You just might be able to visit neighbors, too, in the better months ahead.

Michael Bugeja

Michael Bugeja, a distinguished professor of liberal arts and sciences at Iowa State University, is author of "Living Media Ethics" and "Interpersonal Divide in the Age of the Machine." These views are his own.