Our Purpose

Our purpose is quite simply to promote peace and preservation - peace among people of all countries and cultures, and the preservation of the magnificent gifts Mother Nature has blessed us with.

How do we do that through the books of AWE?

Have you ever been afraid of something you didn’t know much about? Fearful that it was out to harm you? Maybe your brain told you it was dangerous? (based on the limited information it had.) And then what did you do when you confronted that ‘thing’? Did you try to avoid it? Run away from it? Or..maybe even destroy it?

On the contrary, when you are in AWE of something, you want to care for it, preserve it, not hurt it. AWE is the prerequisite to have peace, love, and respect for all living beings. In contrast, ‘..what you do not know, you will fear. What one fears, one destroys.’ (Chief Dan George)

My daughter once told me that it’s easy for her to integrate and play with kids in India because they are in awe of her being from America. But at school here, she tried to hide her Indianness and assimilate as much as she could lest she be teased or bullied. That was a light bulb moment for me.

I realized that children in ‘developing’ countries have grown up on a diet of Western books and media, which has led us to perceive our own cultures and nations as backward and view the West as some utopia. No wonder we are in such a race to get to the West!

But what if this narrative could be changed? What if children in developed countries learned about the rich cultural heritage and traditions of children from other countries, especially those in developing nations? Would that fill them with awe and make them more welcoming towards these immigrant children?

If children read about families worldwide and saw that they were all the same at their core, would that make them more empathetic leaders in the future? Would they not then think twice before profiting from families in any of the poorer nations?

Would kids who grow up reading and listening to stories about the billions and trillions of extraordinary species with which we share our one earth not refuse a straw or a plastic bag at the grocery store?

Would learning about the astounding ways in which trees behave, communicate, and contribute to our well-being encourage these children to plant forests or grow their own food?

How could they not care if they knew, if they realized that we humans represent just one leaf on a tree with trillions?

I believe incredible change can occur if they learn, see, and experience the beauty and diversity that surrounds us.

Imagine a world where we all felt awe for people who looked different from us, not apprehension or fear. Wouldn’t they then always choose love and peace over war? Wouldn’t they be the most conscientious citizens of our dear Mother Earth? And shouldn’t the goal of education be to raise such children - children who can imagine a better, kinder world?

And books are probably the most accessible and inexpensive way to learn about this incredible world and all the life on earth. Books, and the stories shared through them, are our way to cultivate peace and preservation.

❤️ Soumya