The Power of Awe
Why the northern lights gave us some relief this week
I have a vivid memory from my early years of elementary school when I first remember seeing the northern lights. My childhood best friend and I were at her cabin for the weekend, about three hours north of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, where I grew up. We were lying on our backs on a frozen lake, bundled up from head to toe, and it was cold. The kind of cold you really only know if you live way up north—where the snot freezes in your nostrils with every breath you take.
But we weren’t thinking about our numb fingers and toes because above us, green streaks danced through the sky, with stars sparkling around them. I didn’t really understand what the northern lights were then, but I didn’t have to to know that what I was witnessing was special.
What I was experiencing was what we call awe. It turns out that awe is good for your brain. And according to a story Florence Williams wrote for Outside in 2023, “This state of mind could potentially alter us by unleashing feelings like humility, generosity, and a desire to reassess our lives. And sometimes even existential terror. Whether it’s cataclysmic or gentle, an awe experience could be an effective antidote to burnout, post-traumatic stress, heartbreak, and loneliness.”
That explains a lot when I think back to earlier this week, when, on November 11, my social feeds flooded with photos of folks witnessing the northern lights all over the U.S. My phone pinged with texts from friends, sending me images from their backyards across the country, and for a brief evening, my usual doomscrolling was replaced with gorgeous pictures of the rainbow lights. Instead of freaking out over the very bad news cycle, we were all geeking out over nature doing something cool. And for at least a little bit, things felt a little bit better.
What I’m Reading
Inside the Surprisingly Intense World of Competitive Steinholding
Five pounds of lager, one outstretched arm, and the slow creep of regret. This is Type 2 fun at its finest.
By Martin Fritz Huber
This upping of the ante is at least partially due to the marketing savvy of the Munich-based brewery Hofbräuhaus, as well as American beer brands like Sam Adams, who have been sponsoring steinholding events for years. (There are now steinholding competitions in all U.S. states.) The 19 men and 13 women who are taking part in the 2025 Hofbräu nationals have all prevailed in regional Hofbräu-affiliated competitions across the country. As a reward, they were flown out to New York for a chance to compete for the title of national champion. The annual winner in Central Park gets a paid trip to the OG Oktoberfest in Munich, as well as a blinged-out championship belt to commemorate the achievement. Let no one tell you America is no longer the land of opportunity.
Rage, MAGA, and the Kardashians: The Teen Who Filmed 3,000 Hours of Kanye West’s Life
At the age of 18, Nico Ballesteros was given permission to film the falling star for six years, now packaged into an unsettling new documentary
By Adrian Horton
Over the next six years, Ballesteros filmed over 3,000 hours of footage of Ye as the superstar experienced creative breakthroughs and, more often, outbursts, meltdowns, paranoia and international opprobrium. The resulting film, In Whose Name – given limited release this month after a torturous edit – is a grimly fascinating portrait of an exceptionally gifted mega-celebrity in unmitigated crisis, a fly-on-the-wall view of personal and professional downfall.
The Only Bar in California Where You Can Buy a Gun and a Beer
A kid drinking soda at the bar is the least surprising sight in the Sportsman near Yosemite
By Silas Valention
San Jose resident Dawn Schiavo was en route to Yosemite with a friend in early August when they decided to stop in Sonora to visit the Sportsman. Although they were bound for nature, the duo came to the small outdoors shop in the Sierra Nevada foothills for another reason. “We don’t have a bar like this in the Bay Area,” Schiavo said between sips of cider. “That’s how my friend got me — he said, ‘Let’s go to the gun store that has a bar in it.’”
The Sportsman — the last standing business in California where patrons can simultaneously buy a beer and a firearm — is encased in a historic brick building between the town’s main drag and its police station. The store-and-bar is as much a tourist destination as it’s a living room for some in the gateway town. On a weekday afternoon, two locals nursed Michelob Ultras beneath a television showing a Giants game while another man put down the next installment on a deposit for a rifle.
Last But Not Least
Don’t skip the comments in this Thread. Chef’s kiss.
