Sunday my son started digging through his Easter basket and explored his National Geographic Kids Why? book his mom bought him. Then came the onslaught of “mom and dad did you know…” which I must admit the nerd in me was entertained.
Did you know…
Humans share 90% of genes with cats and 82% with dogs. Even crazier…50% with a banana.
Along the Equator, the Earth rotates just over 1,000 mph.
We have 4 seasons because the Earth doesn’t sit up straight – it’s tilted on an axis.
My favorite quote of the day was my wife informing my son he now has a better resource of knowledge to use than his typical resource hub of information called YouTube.
It’s interesting how different we coach kids to use their resources today compared to when I grew up. In a world of what seems like an infinite number of platforms others can post content on, it’s hard to decipher truth from opinion from fiction. As parents we play such an important role understanding what information our kids are consuming. We do our best not just to monitor appropriateness of this information, but even more importantly, coach the habit of questioning what they’re hearing.
When I grew up, information from an encyclopedia or a textbook from school was a trusted source of truth. While not all that content was completely true, there was a substantial accuracy to these resources. We had to learn to decipher and question what others said as true or false but the level of need for this skill has amplified to a whole new level in today’s world. Habits of questioning information we’re receiving to explore and be curious is a necessity to try to work our way through the volume of information now thrown at us.
Is the news giving the complete story?
Are briefings with government officials shaping the story to benefit themselves?
Is the social media post I’m listening to falsifying information?
Everywhere we look we run the risk of taking information at face value and creating an incomplete story. While I do believe we can minimize the volume of noise we hear, there’s no way to completely avoid it. But there are ways we can work on training ourselves to let curiosity lead our exploration of a more complete story. Here are some curiosity questions that can help…
*Is there another perspective that may be beneficial to explore this topic?
*Are there experiences others may have had that would consider this information incomplete?
*Is the story I’m creating based on my bias or am I challenging my beliefs?
*Am I open to exploring a different story than the one I’ve settled on or am I being complacent?
With constant change in what drives success in careers, health and wellness, our communities, and all sorts of personal growth, one constant I’ve found is the importance of curiosity. The rate of new information will only amplify and it’s easy to find stories that fit the narrative we want or settle on. There are so many clues to pick up from others around us but it’s on us to explore how we can filter through this information to create a holistic view. Let curiosity lead the way and push settling to the side to continue to search for more information that can help you on your journey.
Take your step: the next time you’re presented with new information practice leading with curiosity. Consider whether you’re settling with an incomplete story and practice curious reflective questions. Let those questions help jump start exploration into whether a more complete story is needed.