Wondering about Curiosity

I read an article recently about keeping our minds sharp as we age. Instead of recommending walking and blueberries, this one had five easy ‘micro-habits’ to keep the brain healthy. None of these were hard, and I have done most of them often, if not consistently. You can read the article here: https://superage.com/the-5-microhabits-that-rewire-your-brain-for-longevity/

The micro-habit that fascinated me was number two: Ask one new question a day and spend five minutes going after it. The author called having curiosity, “rocket fuel for memory.” Who knew?! And yet, as I think about it, this makes so much sense- not just for a robust mind but for facilitating an open and engaged emotional and spiritual life, as well as deep and satisfying relationships.

Why is this? I think it may have to do with eschewing an attitude of authority, even in situations where we may have a lot of information. When we are more curious than convinced we already know the answer, we take ourselves out of the center of the universe and accept a place of student in relationship with reality.

I think the type of curiosity we exhibit makes a difference in the richness and efficacy of this micro-habit, though. It’s one thing if we’re are just looking up facts, like how many feet in a mile and where is Croatia on the map. The answers to such questions may give us more data for our storehouse of information, but quickly quenches whatever curiosity sparked them. Facts can support a false perception that we are in control of the world.

What other kind of curiosity is there then? Well, at least a couple of different, I’d say.

I find most of my questions have to do with relationships. This is not always figuring out how to connect with other people, but the patterns of interdependency between, well, everything. I don’t just want to know facts, like the steps to make muffins. I want to know: How many calories those muffins have? How they taste? Can my gluten-free friends can eat them? If I feed the crumbs to the visiting roadrunner, will it be good for him?

How to make muffins is a pretty simple query which, even with all my relationship questions tacked on, I could research in five or ten minutes. But what if we took this curiosity a step further into the unknown, where Google doesn’t have definitive answers? What if my curiosity took me to Mars?

I don’t just want to know where Mars resides in the universe or how many miles it is from Earth. I’m curious how life could be sustained there, what the night sky looks like from a planet which is uninhabited, what it feels like to have a level of gravity which differs from Earth’s, what shape the joys and sorrows of life lived in an enclosed habitat might take. An inquiry about a relationship with Mars would take a lot of searching and yield many more questions or suppositions than definite answers. Curiosity about such unknown subjects would keep my mind engaged for hours, if not years, even though many scientists and scholars are working in this field of inquiry.

And then, of course, there are the eternal questions, where curiosity about the biggest unknowns dares to venture: What is love? Who is God? What is the relationship between time and infinity? Luckily, there are many brave souls who journey out into the fields of this kind of speculation, and through their minds, emotions and gut instincts share what they perceive. Out here, however, there are no firm, factual answers. This is the space of belief and experience which is hard to speak about, much less verify. And yet, it’s to this curiosity that I am most attracted, most driven. I wonder why?

Thank the stars, then, for fiction, and especially science fiction, which tantalizes and hones our curiosity, especially when it calls us to wonder about that which cannot be grasped by facts. It’s good for our brains, yes. But more importantly, I suspect it’s good for our souls.

What kinds of questions are you pursuing these days, for the good of your mind or soul?