June 2026

Notes on curiosity.

I have started thinking about what curiosity means to me and why it feels like such an important avenue to explore. There are sides to curiosity, and we have expressions like 'curiosity called the cat' when are curiosity goes too far, but I'm talking about the side of curiosity that I would link to wonder. The side of curiosity that makes us see things in a different light. The side of curiosity that says, 'wow, I had no idea!".

Curiosity, among other things opens the door for observation, questioning, reflection, learning, growth, understanding and connection. It also says that we don't have all the answers and that is actually okay. It says that not having the answers actually provides us opportunities to find out more.

I think social media fooled me into thinking that I needed the answers too. It convinced me that I needed to sound profound all the time. I would consider myself to be a deep thinker, but if I put the added pressure of needing to sound profound all the time, that's not something I need.

I also think it's a dangerous place to say that we have all the answers. It is unconciously saying that our way is the best way. It feels closed off. It feels like we don't want to listen to others. It feels like we close ourselves off to ourselves too. It's saying 'oh, I don't need to do any of that exploring or reflecting', I'd rather be on autopilot, lose my sense of wonder and not discover new ways of seeing, even if it's in the familiar.

That's the other point. I'm not saying curiosity needs to be linked to any huge revelation, but I think it can be used as a guide. I've found when we get curious to how we feel, when we ask 'why do we do this in that way' and when we get curious to others and the corner of the world we are in, we can work through assumptions, we can become more understanding of ourselves and others. Curiosity can lead to many things. The starting point is to be open to it. The courage is to be open to all it brings.

That said, curiosity is a work in progress at all times, like we are.

One thought to finish on. I think if we combine curiosity and let go of judgement, we have a rare superpower. The question is, can we hold on to it?