The Value of Curiosity and Openness

Last week I chanced to listen to scientist Brian Cox* on the radio. Billed as a ‘rock star physicist’, he began speaking about Post Fact, a phenomenon where people deliberately choose to disagree with experts in the field despite decades of in depth research to back them up. It makes me think of climate change. And having happened to be in England during the aftermath of the Brexit, I witnessed the despair of many locals distressed by the result. That seemed too be another example of Post Fact.

Of course social media and those quickie sound bytes get a mention here. Brian Cox said, “I think it’s quite human to value your own opinion. And we hear it a lot now, you see it on social media a lot; – ‘Well, that’s my opinion. I’m entitled to my opinion.’ You are entitled to your opinion. But first of all you are not entitled to have it listened to.” – I just love that cheekiness so bring it on Brian!  He continued to speak about the importance of remaining open to learning.

“One of the skills is to constantly be questioning yourself. Being dogmatic is not a positive attribute. Being certain about things is actually not a positive thing. And so I think somehow our societies have got into this position where people feel that certainty and strength and this kind of ‘I make decisions’, that that is a trait to be valued.”

But if we go for, as my brother says, ‘simple solutions to complex problems.’ we’ll wind up in hot water.  (I think here with trepidation of Donald Trump being in charge of US foreign policy.)

But in other words, we need to somehow get comfortable with feeling wobbly and about some topics. The insecurity of not knowing it all can feel distinctly uncomfortable. But uncertainty is brave!

He talks about the importance of educating our children to keep an open mind, but it applies equally to us grown-ups too,  “And I think if there is one thing education can give the child, this idea that your opinion should be flexible, it should change, you can be wrong, and when you find out you are wrong you should be very happy because you’ve learnt something, and move on. Don’t be proud and dogmatic, be curious and open to change.”

So do we need to do a copious amount of research to support every social encounter? Do we need to become paranoid about that throw away comment at school pick up? That whole idea of continued and never ending enquiry, threatens to exhaust me, particularly when I still need to do things like feed 5 people every night for dinner. But I also love that just when I am feeling rocky, overwhelmed at all this learning I have to do as well as just plain living and unsure what to cling too, Brian Cox offers me a helping hand. He goes on to offer a powerful tool, even calling it a gold standard.

“Actually when you look at what science does, we are trying to understand nature. And as Richard Feynman again very famously said, it doesn’t matter who you are or what your name is, if your opinion disagrees with nature, it is wrong. You are wrong. There is a gold standard there. And many of these questions we are asking today about how to proceed as a civilisation are actually really questions about the natural world, how does it behave, how does it work, what are we to do. These things are questions that you can test. And so your opinion doesn’t matter.”

So, thankfully we are thrown a rope and offered a certain certainty. That of the natural world. And I feel there are a lot of natural truths where the body is concerned. Simple ones like: My mind will function better when I get enough sleep.  You will have a set of your own. Those things you know in your bones. Here are some more of my natural truths.

• To me it is a truth that exercise makes me feel great. The benefits of getting out and moving and grooving for many of us goes head to head to any lurking stress, depression or anxiety.
• It is a truth that stretching feels like it opens up blocked parts of my body and let’s everything flow better and I reckon you know this too.
• It is a truth that when I feel strong physically I feel more emotionally resilient.
• It is a truth that I just don’t do as well when I don’t take time out and one of the most wholesome special times is when you focus on movement and good healthy hard work.
• It is a truth that meditation is good for me, on every level and without fail.
• Yoga philosophy study is good for me as is jam packed full of astute observations and natural truths.
• Deep hot baths are good for me, especially if I light a candle.
• It is a truth that trying to fit all your health efforts into one big loud burst is not enough when you are planning to live for decades more yet. And it doesn’t work especially when it’s motivated by fear or self hate. What you need is a consistent, manageable practice which you can enjoy and that will give you the required longevity.

If these resonate with you, now is the time to act! Spring is days away and the weather is delightful. Evaporate the procrastination! The time is now and here is where to book xxxxxx

Christina

*You can download or read the whole interview here.