Question Everything. Be More Curious.

I am of the opinion that much of the malaise in the world is due to a dearth of curiosity. People seem to unquestioningly accept the roles assigned to them and others without so much as a moment's curiosity about whether or not there is any truth or value in these roles. 

Particularly when it comes to one's personal self we seem to be so completely enculturated or otherwise brainwashed by the psychological projections of others and our own self-talk, that we fail to question to what degree these stories about ourself and our life have any veracity. Which brings me to the importance of being curious about things long enough to start asking good questions.

Small children are great models of this behaviour, they are curious about everything in the most open and honest of ways, and ask endless questions about the world around them.

I would like to underline at this juncture that the value of asking good questions lies not so much in the receipt of a definitive answer, as the opening of new channels for the mind to explore in its search for authenticity and truth.

Questions help loosen the habits of mind that keep us thinking in a rut. They liberate the mind through wonder and curiosity aiding in the facilitation of our creative energies. This leads us, hopefully, to a place where we begin to recognize that the challenges and taken for granted assumptions of life may have more than one answer, there may be a number of possibilities or solutions that have relevance and bearing. How liberating is that?!

The objective in approaching the mystery of our lives with an open-ended sense of curiosity and wonder is not so much to find answers as to finally realize that there may be no definitive answers, which in turn frees us to approach the whole 'problem' of life with a much greater sense of creativity and fun. Is this not what we typically see the aforementioned children doing?

In essence it is to realize that our lives are fundamentally a mystery which we know very little about, and therefore we should feel free to re-write the rules according to a script which makes sense based on current personal experience and observation rather than the inertia of a habitual, mindless rut.

Here are some good questions to start with:

*What is my greatest talent?

*Who are my most inspiring role models?

*How can I best be of service to others?

*For what am I most grateful in my life?

*When am I most naturally myself? What people, places and activities allow me to feel most fully myself?

These are large questions and may lead to even more questions, and that is the point. We need to wake ourselves up to the wondrous beauty and depth of potential that is the gift of every human life. There is always much more to discover than is immediately apparent on the surface.

Dare to explore and perhaps you will find something unexpected and rewarding. Dare to believe that you are more than the narrow, confining role you may play in life.

Curiosity = Vitality

Wake up! Be more curious.