Choose to be Curious

Here it is: the story of how this whole curiosity enterprise came to be and some of the many insights I’ve picked up along the way -- with a little timely bias for all things peace and conflict-transformation related. For those of you who are new, this is how it all began! For those who have been around a while, here's the origin story, plus some of the challenges and glory of which you've been such an important part. I'm hoping there's something here for everyone. Theme music by Sean Balick; other music by One Such Village, via via Blue Dot Sessions.

How might choosing to be curious help us keep the conversation open, hold onto history that's being erased, and find moments for celebration, even still? Monique "Moe" Bryant was my teacher and guide when I took a course called Challenging Racism back in 2015-2016. I had her on the show twice then, once before and once after I'd taken the eye-opening, humble-making, nonetheless-empowering program. Given where conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion are now, I thought it was time to have her back. Challenging Racism: https://www.challengingracism.org Theme music by Sean Balick; “Turning to You” by Landsman Duets, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Join Kevin Kelly, Senior Maverick at Wired and co-chair of the Long Now Foundation, as he dives into the power of radical optimism. He shares how cultivating curiosity creates opportunities and fosters an abundance mindset. Kelly discusses innovative 'lighthouse parenting,' promoting independence while providing guidance. The conversation also highlights the importance of exploring unfamiliar topics and how curiosity can deepen relationships. Discover reasons to embrace imagination and self-discovery in this engaging discussion.

Today we dive into a tantalizing “kinesthetic framework for curiosity” a way of understanding how we move between ideas and bits of information. Researcher Dale Zhou thinks of our curiosity as our search process in specific conditions. His research shows we’ve each got our own style — and that architecture can be mapped using knowledge networks. Dale Zhou: https://www.dalezhou.com Theme music by Sean Balick; “Step In Step Out” by Crab Shack, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Educator Patty Gómez used a question formulation technique to cultivate a collaborative culture of curiosity at work. Theme music by Sean Balick; “Entrance Shaft 11” by The Depot, via Blue Dot Sessions.

The World Peace Game is the brainchild of educator John Hunter. He describes it as “learning to live and work comfortably in the unknown.” It's hard to imagine a more curiosity-centric undertaking. A three-dimensional, hands-on political simulation, the World Peace Game explores the interconnectedness of the global community through economic, social, and environmental crises and the imminent threat of war. The goal is to extricate all the countries from those dangerous circumstances and achieve global prosperity, with the least amount of military intervention. And it’s played by 4th graders. World Peace Game: https://worldpeacegame.org Theme music by Sean Balick; “UpUpUp and Over" by The Balloonist, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Menka Sanghvi and I feel our ways around noticing as the first step to caring, taking responsibility for where and how we direct our attention, attention activism and artistry, not accepting default settings, the essence of parenting, and why looking at the sky first thing in the morning is such a good idea. Menka is a mindfulness and digital habits expert based in London. Her writing, speaking and many projects explore the relationship between attention, technology and society. She is the founder of Just Looking --- a community project that champions more curiosity and wonder in the everyday --- and co-author of the newly released book Your Best Digital Life: Use Your Mind to Tame Your Tech. Menka Sanghvi: https://menkasanghvi.com Theme music by Sean Balick; ”Mind Body Mind”, by Bodytonic , via Blue Dot Sessions.

XuanJun Gong is interested in media selection, computational modeling, communication networks, and information diffusion. He’s looked at how we choose media to manage our moods, how the sequence of our choices matters, and what draws us to that next book. All of this is one version or another of the old curiosity conundrum: explore or exploit? Do we seek novelty or leverage what we already know? Why? Does it get us what we want?  How do we even know….? XuanJun Gong: https://www.xuanjungong.com Theme music by Sean Balick; "Zig Zag Heart" by Nursery, via Blue Dot Sessions.

I have the good fortune of living in a place that values public art -- art that anyone can see at any time of night or day-- and that, with its very presence, invites just a little curiosity in a way that you might imagine would appeal to me. So I was delighted when Tomora Wright Swann, Public Art Projects Manager of Arlington County (Va.) reached out -- and propelled me to connect with contributing artist Aurora Robson. When I visit other cities, one of the things I look for is iconic walking tours – the cisterns of Istanbul, the passages couverts of Paris, the murals of Philadelphia, New Orleans’ Garden District. What a pleasure to talk with two people behind Arlington County's own art walking tours! Aurora Robson: https://www.aurorarobson.com Check out Arlington public art: https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Public-Art/About/Self-Guided-Public-Art-Tours Theme music by Sean Balick. Hickory Interlude, Lemon and Melon, Sunday Lights, Town Market and Tuck and Point by Onesuch Village via Blue Dot Sessions.

I believe journalist, photographer and all-around producer Andy Isaacson has found ways to lean into his own curiosity, creating vehicles for the rest us to come along for the ride – in one case, literally. For him a good day sparks his curiosity -- a thought that came to him for the first time in this conversation. (Hurrah for asking about what makes for a good days!) We talk about why it's so important to meet people where they are; the intersections of respect, fairness, empathy and rigorous investigation; resourcefulness; and why stories are a form of currency. Andy Isaacson: https://www.andyisaacson.net Theme music by Sean Balick;“Union Hall Melody" by Union Hall via Blue Dot Sessions.