Ask Why, Then Challenge the Answer
What it takes to be genuinely curious
Another year, another trip around the sun.
Last year I withdrew from social media, mostly avoided writing publicly (except for work), and spent a great deal of my time focusing on my family and myself. I listened to music I liked, read books about things I liked, and did things I liked with my family. This was, without a doubt, a good thing.
But doing good things is so last year. This year, I want to do great things. Which is why, for me, this year is all about challenging myself. I don’t mean reading X number of books, or losing Y number of pounds, or writing Z number of words each day. I mean challenging myself. I mean being genuinely curious.
A habit I started last year, and value very much, is what I call the “daily devotional.” I read a short essay, poem, or book chapter and spend ten or fifteen minutes reflecting on it and writing down my thoughts in a journal. For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been reading Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet. A few days ago, I read the chapter devoted to freedom and encountered this passage:
And if it is a despot you would dethrone, see first that his throne erected within you is destroyed.
There are a lot of ways to interpret that, and I think it’s plausible that Gibran was speaking politically. But I read it differently. I wonder not who, but what rules all of us despotically, and I think the answer is indifference. I see it everywhere: in politics, in education, in media, in social media, at the doctor’s office, at the supermarket, in conversations with friends and family, and even—maybe especially—in myself.
The world is in desperate need of curiosity.
But what is curiosity? I see that word on every podcast bro’s social media profile. It isn’t reading every book and watching every YouTube video about things that interest you. Curiosity is questioning why something interests you in the first place, and then doing everything you can to challenge the answer. It’s about questioning your preferences, your habits, your values, and your beliefs—not once, but continuously.
Maybe I’m just having a midlife crisis, but the need to challenge myself feels urgent. As AI seeps further into every aspect of our lives, originality, creativity, and critical thinking are approaching endangered-species status. I want to fight for their preservation. I need to destroy the throne of indifference that complacency has erected within me.
This year, my newsletter is devoted to pursuing and protecting curiosity.
I hope you’ll join me.
What Else I've Been Up To
I'm writing more short stories
I've started a new blog series of (very) short stories about the lessons I've learned from my dog. Check out the first one:
David Amos
I'm listening to new music
Every day this year I'm listening to a new album that I've never heard before and that was released no more than six months ago at the time of listening. You can follow along here:
I'm cautiously using social media again
After another year without social media, I am experimenting with it once again. Currently, I'm only using Mastodon and Blue Sky. If you are on either of those platforms, I'd love to connect!
