Replace Instant Information with Wonder and Curiosity

Is it just me or do people seem to know less and have more opinions than ever before? I mean just
think back to the last constructive or thought provoking discussion you had. When was that? Are these conversations as often as you'd like them? 

In the information age we do not need to KNOW anything. Everything is right at our fingertips from calculators to recipes to our favorite places to comparison shop without getting off the couch! In fact we don't even have to type our questions in anymore; Just ask our phone and simple quarries are answered right back to us! Technology has eliminated our need to remember metric conversions, steak cook times, our friends phone numbers and favorite restaurant's hours of operation. We also don't need to remember the things we look up purely out of curiosity like "Where do otters sleep?" because if we ever get curious about it later we can look it up again and our wonderment is immediately satisfied and forgotten like a fast food meal.

This technological miracle has changed our lives forever and it's also changing our culture. Just think about how our kids have never known a world without Google... Many of them grew up sucking on our smartphones (don't even get me started on why a parent would use a $500 computer as a chew toy!) They see you tube videos, play games, and get instant gratification to any question that crosses their mind whether or not we have a clue. (Like when my son asked if chickens ate corn dogs). I've noticed that my preschooler is way smarter than I was at his age for this reason but I also wonder how much of it will stick. 

When I was a kid in school I learned pretty quickly that if I "studied" for a test the night before I could retain the information just long enough to regurgitate it on an exam. I did great in school but I shamefully admit that even with a college degree I'm not very educated. I just learned the system and our kids will too.

Their system is one that tells them they don't need to pay attention to lectures or books. If they NEED the information they'll look it up WHEN they need it. For this reason they don't need to remember what they look up either. Obviously some of it will stick but popular psychology has shown that information we don't inherently deem as important is disregarded for to make room for incoming information. Now here is the kicker. THERE IS ALWAYS INCOMING INFORMATION!! We are so bombarded by information our minds literally cannot process it all. So things become more catchy and flashy and bait-clicky. Instead of reading articles we are reading headlines, bullet points, and comments for a summary. In fact if you are still reading this I'm impressed. What do you think this is doing to their attention spans? Their persistence? How will they value listening to others in a selfie, 120 character "tweet about me" world?

I contest that wondering is good. 

For our kids AND for us. Next time you want to know what the type of painting you saw at the farmers market is, or how to cook eggplant I suggest that instead of hopping on the internet you ask around. Doing this for insight or knowledge is great for relationships! It creates meaningful conversations, sparks curiosity in others, adds value to your friendships as they feel needed and respected for the useful things they know, takes your knowledge beyond the test line answer, and can expand your horizons to new topics and ideas. Doing this will spark your creativity in new directions and change your perspective and preconceived notions of both the topic and your friends. Furthermore it is really connecting with those we love most or are interested in knowing better.

You can also try finding out the scientific way. Create a hypothesis, test it out, evaluate what you've discovered.

Read a book! Or a magazine, or some other physical piece of paper that was written with the express purpose of answering your quarry. Things that are topic specific have richer information written by people passionate about that subject. Just think about how much more interesting it would be to read about an american red chested robin from an ornithologist than from Wikipedia!

Another idea to keep wonder alive is to question your question. WHY do you wonder who the vice presidential candidate for the upcoming election will be, WHAT caused the tomatoes to be SO big this year, etc.

Dig Deeper. Add substance and depth to your understanding.

Or simply ponder. Let you mind stick on how to get the potatoes to crisp on the outside and turn soft on the inside, when you come across the answer by reading it in a book, or talking to a friend, or experimenting for the 15th time it will be so much more satisfying and you won't forget it.

Yes we have the wonders of technology to to quickly help us guesstimate a mortgage payment or find poison controls phone number but the next time you are planning a vacation start somewhere else and see where it leads you because ultimately:

Technology is a tool, we don't have to let it be a master.