"I think curiosity to me is like the grease that makes all the gears go around, right? It's fundamental. It's like oxygen," she says. "When you get a cancer diagnosis or something similar like that, you're really feeling buffeted at the whims of fate and ... it's not an empowering process."
At age 59, neuroscientist David Linden received a startling diagnosis of heart cancer. Even in the face of a terminal illness, David is continuing to think like a scientist. He shares what he's learned from watching his mind grapple with his own mortality, and how the diagnosis has changed his experience of time. Maya and David also discuss the power of curiosity and how it can aid us in moments of profound suffering.
If you enjoyed this conversation, check out this episode from the archive: “The Life-Changing Diagnosis.”
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