Who has ever read the book Curious?: Discovering Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life by Todd B. Kashdan would have understood the value of curiosity. Similarly, Kathleen Moore also affirmed the importance of curiosity in her book Wild Comfort: The Solace of Nature, "to be worthy of the astonishing world, a sense of wonder will be a way of life…” (Moore, 36). Once again, "sense of wonder" embodies its role in contributing to a meaningful life. It is an crucial skill not only needs to be practiced but also requires to be applied in practice. According to Moore, “sense of wonder requires something new everyday” (Moore, 36). That is, when we look at a certain scene, it offers new things every time, even though the scene does not change. Moore …show more content…
When we learn something new or feel astonished, dopamine, a neurotransmitter in charge of good feeling is released into our bloodstream (Grison, Heatherton, & Gazzaniga, 2017). When we focus on new things and receive rewards from challenging situations, we have built and strengthened the bonding of neurons in the brain (Grison et al., 2017). Being curious and exploring the world protects people from brain diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's (Kashdan, 2010). That is why using “sense of wonder” to receive astonishment everyday is vital for both mental and physical health. “Sense of wonder” is necessary for being free from boredom because not everyone can afford to explore new countries. This sense helps us see incredible things in trivial normal scenes. If we observe the metamorphosis of a larva into a butterfly, we will be amazed by the marvellousness of nature. Nature with its power is capable of transforming an ugly larva into a splendid butterfly. Every day when there is something new to discover, that is the day worth living. Imagine that one day we woke up, and life had nothing new to learn, would we still see the meaning of life? Therefore, the function of "sense of wonder" is to engage us in life and motivate us to continue
We may discover things years before or years after we realize their meaning. So all discovery is really rediscovery. Malouf is not interested in the power of the human mind to create something new and startling, but in the sharp shock of déjà vu: those moments when we realize the meaning of something that was always lurking in the back of our minds, but only becomes conscious when we see it in its true place in the pattern of things. Discovery and artistic creation are two sides of the same process, a process of recognition. Suddenly we remember forgotten experiences and events because we are brought face to face with them again in something apparently unrelated. In effect we have met a part of ourselves which we did not realize was there.’
In The Sense of Wonder, Carson, and her nephew are exploring the different landscapes of Maine. Carson tells us senses are important while exploring nature saying, “ Sense other than sight can prove avenues of delight and discovery, storing up for us memories and impressions” (Carson, 83). She first explains the way a smell can help us while exploring nature saying,” For the sense of smell, almost more than any other, has the power to recall memories and it is a pity that we use it so little” (Carson, 83). Smell just like any other sense is important, but the smell does remind us of memories lost before. The smell of grandma 's house or fresh baked cookies can remind us of many memories. The second sense Carson emphasizes is hearing. She explains, “ Hearing can be a source of even more exquisite pleasure, but I require conscious cultivation” (Carson, 84). Hearing, epically while exploring in nature, can be beautiful. The crack of leaves while you walk or the sound of birds ringing in your ear can be music through your ears. In The Sense of Wonder, Carson urges us to use all of our sense, use emotions and abandon teaching while exploring nature.
Through this same lens, I chose to take classes that helped diversify what I learned so I always stayed interested and never found class tedious, just as Curious George would in his adventures. Outside of school, I keep myself in check by traveling and trying new things because on top of my natural curiosity, I am a true explorer. Like George, I love the enjoyment of participating in what life has to offer, even though it may cause mischief along the way. After all, satisfying curiosity is one of the greatest sources of happiness in
In the world of science, there are many discoveries. “A discovery is like falling in love and reaching the top of a mountain after a hard climb all in one, an ecstasy not induced by drugs but by the revelation of a face of nature. and that often turns out to be more subtle and wonderful than anyone had imagined.” (Ferdinand Puretz). Most people in the world we live in lack the ability to notice and appreciate the gift of sight in life.
The first chapter focusses heavily on the different concepts of wonder and the mysteries that surround such a notion. Wonder itself is not simply something for one culture, or one individual rather it is a universal concept that is observed in many different ways. In fact, Nava hints early in the chapter that wonder can actually be used as a type of communication, “wonder is always a form of communication, but it reaches for what is unsayable over what can be said” (pg. 13). In fact, Nava even mentions that wonder can go beyond being just a form of communication as well, “It is an experience...something so novel and strange that it overwhelms and dazzles the most familiar categories of human knowledge and understanding” (pg. 13). These conceptions of wonder are not something new to the human race. Rather it has been studied for hundreds of years, probably most notably by Descartes of the enlightenment era. Descartes had different views on the concept of wonder and proclaimed that wonder can be fearful as well as delightful and that it, “prevents or perverts the use of reason and thwarts the acquisition of knowledge” (pg. 14). T...
Humans are, by nature, filled with curiosity. We incessantly seek to learn about the universe. Not surprisingly, we simultaneously strive to learn about ourselves. What is our place in the world? How do we grow into the people we are meant to be?
“We need the tonic of wildness...At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn
“We keep moving forward, opening new things, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths” –Walt Disney (Smith, 2001).
scientific understanding detracts from an esthetic appreciation of nature: "The vastness of the heavens stretches my
Each of our faiths and reasoning are based on our cultural beliefs, behavior, and how we come to rationalize sense in our lives; along with a belief that does not require proof. Reason holds justification and intellectual faculty by which our conclusions are based via a truth or non-truth in why we are faithful. The enriched imagination that one holds is part of that “something special” which helps progress our lives to the next level giving freedom to feel, think, and wonder all the possibilities of life has to offer. Our existence as humans has allowed us this pleasure without reservation.
Curiosity is a personality trait that everyone has in some way or another throughout their whole life. How it is defined, however, is up for debate. Many people consider curiosity to be simply a desire to learn and know, but scholars tend to take the meaning deeper. George Loewenstein (1994) describes curiosity as the attraction to information that “confers no extrinsic benefit,” so people tend to delve more deeply into things than would serve to help them somehow. To define it in a more distinctive manner from other traits such as novelty-seeking, one may say curiosity is a, “positive emotional-motivational system associated with the recognition, pursuit, and self-regulation of novel and challenging opportunities” (Kashdan 2004). Researchers
How often do we hear video games are bad for our kids? If you simply google “video games controversy” the results are absolutely polarized articles by major news sources. They are, according to many opponents, at fault for violence and the waning attention span and intelligence of our country 's children. However, there is no real scientific evidence of this. Actually the contrary is true according to Daphne Bavelier of the Bavelier lab of University of Geneva and a cognitive neuroscientist. Bavelier addresses this topic in a positive and scientific light. Her research is posed as how can video games benefit us; rather than how they hurt us. Bavelier uses a variety of methods to appeal to her audience in her engaging speech on video games
In times, we often see things, but we don't really capture what is beyond it. In some cases, there are people who are artistic and are prone to see what other's cannot visualize. Every individual has a talent which can be expressed and processed differently. Something you see can mean entirely divergent things to someone else;for example, some may see thing's that may seem simple, but in the eyes of an artist, it can be perceived with a whole new definition, dimension, and a potentially new discovery. As a photographer, my view of the world, can be skewed towards looking at everyday objects as potential art, but it wasn't always like that.
Einstein said:" It is a miracle that curiosity scurvies formal education.", and in comparison I say:
Outdoor recreation is something that everyone needs. Finding that place within yourself that allows you to forget about everything. Whether that be playing with your kids in the nearby park, fishing with your grandfather, hiking with someone or just by yourself you learn something new about yourself. Some people use recreation to forget about something and they use being outside as a calming effect. Williams and Stewart (1998) believe that nature, as a place, creates an emotion bond, has a complex meaning to the person, and that people have this draw back to the place. To get the same feeling that someone would get while doing an activity in nature to simulate Williams and Stewart’s (1998) belief, I recently participated in an