Thoughts on Curiosity
by thissparklylife
I usually cruise through quotes on the internet; appreciating them in that moment and gaining inspiration, but the one above is one that keeps coming back to me. Maybe it’s because it’s short and sweet, making it easy to remember when a situation pops up in which I have the opportunity to make a decision about how I feel. Everyday we’re faced with situations in which we can choose to react in love or out of fear. Love = curiosity, Fear = judgement.
In the past I’ve tended to react with judgement when someone has a different opinion or way of doing something to my own. “Why are they doing it that way? Don’t they realise they’re wrong? What an idiot.”
But since coming across this way of thinking I’ve learnt to take a step back, consider the unfamiliar and seek to learn from it. My thought pattern is more like this: “Hmm that’s weird.. but maybe it works, I want to find out more.”
Be Curious, not judgemental. Isn’t amazing how four words can change a huge part of one’s life? Through this change I’ve released a weight from my body and already gained so much.
Whilst the health and wellness world is filled with curiosity and love, I also see a lot of opposition, righteousness and ego-driven judgement. “This diet is better than that diet. This way of eating will make you WAY stronger/cleaner/clearer than that way of eating. Oh sooner or later you’ll get sick and die on that diet, you NEED to cut out this this and this”. Paleo vs. Fruitarian, LFRV vs. HFRV, high carb vs low carb etc etc. This is also the case with many dieticians who follow the Government Guidelines; “Anything other than The Guidelines is a dangerous fad diet that couldn’t possibly sustain you.”
One of the reasons I’ve chosen to study through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition is that they’re all about following one’s intuition (listening to your own body!) and that not one diet is perfect for everyone, we’re all different. I really do believe that people can thrive on different ways of eating given that they are in touch with their body and eating whole foods.
It’s wonderful to be experimental, educated, in touch and curious.
“Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious…and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
― Walt Disney Company
“I think I benefited from being equal parts ambitious and curious. And of the two, curiosity has served me best.”
― Michael J. Fox
“Socrates told us, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” I think he’s calling for curiosity, more than knowledge. In every human society at all times and at all levels, the curious are at the leading edge.”
― Roger Ebert
Emma x
