The r/awesome online community is practically ancient by internet standards. It was first created on Reddit way back in the middle of March in 2008. Over its nearly 16 years of existence, the subreddit has grown by leaps and bounds. At the time of writing, over 1.2 million internet users call themselves members of the group.

The moderator team running the whole show has just two rules. They’re both fairly simple. The first one is that you shouldn’t be posting any indecent content. The second one asks redditors to try not to post screenshots. 

The subreddit touches on a lot of important topics with the help of some truly powerful photos. You start thinking about what a good life—one that’s worth living—looks like. You consider what it would take for you to create art as powerful as that from some of the people in the images. And you wonder what your relationship with nature is currently like… and what it should be like in the future.

Living a good life, at its core, means living purposefully. What your exact purpose is will depend entirely on your character, goals, values, and aspirations. Some people feel a calling to travel, be entrepreneurs, or dedicate themselves to creating art in all of its forms. Others give themselves entirely to their family, aim to save the world, or want to leave behind a legacy of generosity.

Whatever your particular purpose in life might be, some things are fundamental when it comes to living well. First of all, you have to cover your basic needs like eating well, getting plenty of exercise throughout the week, and getting plenty of rest. But something that people forget about is that human beings are hardwired to be social.

So a quality life will inevitably involve lots of in-depth socializing with the people we care about. The positive relationships we foster make us resilient to the stresses of life. They make us happier, healthier, and help us live longer.

In a similar vein, if we’re socially isolated, our risk of developing life-threatening diseases increases dramatically. Social isolation and loneliness are toxic to our bodies and minds. Being kind to others, caring about your community, and authentically investing in your social network isn’t just ‘the right thing to do’—there are very practical benefits to behaving altruistically and opening ourselves up to connecting to others.

How we choose to deepen our relationships with those around us is up to every one of us. It might mean recognizing that we’re workaholics. So, we strive to create a healthier work-life balance and enforce more boundaries at our jobs, to spend more time with our family and friends.

It might mean taking some time every week to volunteer and help the less fortunate or aid a cause we deeply believe in. Like focusing on environmentalism and conservation to protect the beautiful views in some of the photos shared on r/awesome. Or we might admit to ourselves a harsh truth: that we do not have the social life that we want and that we need to put in the effort to make (new) friends.

Many of the works of art and photography featured in this post are, well, awesome. They might inspire some people to start doing something creative or to go back to an old, unfinished project.

An important point to remember here is that no artist, no matter how talented, manages to create their masterpieces without sweat or tears. 

Creating high-quality work takes time, effort, and countless revisions. It’s frustrating. At times, you feel defeated and question whether you’re any good at all. But if you manage to tough it out and embrace those creative pains, you can create something powerful.

If you sincerely want to become a top-tier painter, photographer, sculptor, musician, dancer, etc., you have to be willing to consistently put in the work.

Aside from developing a sense of discipline and habitual effort in your life, you also need to genuinely be passionate about what you do. It’s your love of your craft that is going to carry you when everything seems to be falling apart around you. At the end of the day, we can often instinctively tell that something is worth pursuing, no matter how much or how little recognition our efforts might get on the internet and in the media.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about the r/awesome community, Pandas. Which of the photos featured in this post did you like the most? Were there any images that made your jaws drop or that you sent to your friends? What’s the most awesome thing you’ve seen since the start of the year? Scroll down to the comment section and tell us all about it. 

In the meantime, be sure to check out Bored Panda’s earlier feature about the r/awesome subreddit for some more gorgeous nature, beautiful art, and examples of human kindness.