I’m just back from a trip to England, and the above must be one of the most awe-inspiring sights in the world.

London offers plenty of spaces that nudge people into exploring the richness of human capacity. Its museums act as repositories of the historical, technological and artistic progress of the western world, while its buildings and monuments are a constant reminder of the city’s exalted political stature in much of modern history. Memorials that punctuate its open spaces immortalize many, for under the Union Jack have served some of the most able and industrious of men.

But, it was the art galleries that held my attention. Inside Tate Britain and the National Gallery are mesmerizing displays of original works of painters I’ve worshiped; the rustic landscapes by Constable, the almost-photographic representations of religious themes by van Eyck, the flamboyance of Millais’ Pre-Raphaelites, the street-settings of Hogarth, the self-portraits of Rembrandt and Seurat’s pixelated Bathers at Asnieres. How wonderful of these men to capture what moved them in such telling ways. How could I even begin to process the thrill of actually seeing these works that I’ve read about for 10 years?

These and other such museums are the Wikipedias of the physical world. The pinnacles of artistic achievement are open to any curious being with a little time to spare. Won’t repeated exposure to such works form freeways in our minds along which the senses could set rolling ideas that could give us a heightened experience of the world around us? Why allow them to morph into emotions that merely encourage consumption and competition?

The next time you find yourself in a bookstore, do yourself a favor. Turn off your cellphone, walk up to the art section, select a couple of books on the subject and flip through them. Allow yourself to be lead into the themes depicted, to empathize with the messages they convey and to be enchanted by the skill of the artist. You may probably connect with a sensitive side of yourself in a way you have never done before.