Curiosity, in not just my humble opinion, is the cornerstone of all development. Development of the spirit, of the body, of the mind, of our world. It is curiosity that has lead humanity to every new frontier, it is curiosity that leads us to new adventures – small and large – it is curiosity that drives our growth. Your brain thrives on new. Without new, neurons die, neural pathways whither, and your brain loses efficiency.
This is what happens when curiosity dries up. When we hit the dreaded ‘mid-life-crisis’. When we look back over a year to find that we spent our nights doing essentially the same things, visiting the same places, eating the same food, hanging out with the same crowd.
Remember when you were a child? When everything was new, exciting, challenging, an opportunity to learn? When your curiosity over even the simplest of things was innate? Even school, with it’s antiquated knowledge delivery systems and rote learning rewards – even that held challenge and excitement at times (surely not just me in that boat?). Then you maybe went to college or uni, then got a job. Again with the new…new people, new processes, new life skills, new challenges.
Maybe moved out of home, found a partner, maybe got married, maybe had a couple of kids….new, new, new, new…then….
Life settled down. Became about food on the table, career climbing – or even career clinging in a changing world, kids demands, mortgage payments. Where did the new go? What happened to your curiosity for new discoveries and experiences? Where did the brain zinging stimulating growth disappear to? It disappeared along with those struggling neurons. The ones screaming out to be fed and reinforced and challenged.
No more! I say poo to that!
We live in a truly amazing time. A time when the internet can serve us challenges, and excitement and a life of growth and opportunity.