‘Learning represents a miraculous coming together of the uninhibited energy of the child with its apparent opposite and enemy, the sense of order imposed on the disciplined adult intelligence.’
Norman Podhoretz
Scientific research into the concept of ‘wonder’ and the art of questioning has delivered a succinct conclusion. It is, that experiencing it heightens our awareness of being part of something beyond our imagination, something that is greater than ourselves, of humankind in general, or the entire universe. As such, this ‘connectedness’ may encourage ‘pro-social’ actions and has been proven to reduces stress, promote feelings of well-being, happiness and makes a contribution to our longevity.
For little children, being immersed in ‘wonder’ is simply a part of everyday life. Random encounters with a leaf, a rainbow, a feather, a shell, give rise to endless synaptic connections, wonderings and inevitable and to-be-explored questions leading to other questions. As adults, those same questions rarely find a ‘voice’ and yet all innovation, exploration and discovery begins with someone, somewhere asking one!
For once, in the chaos of a working day and in the spirit of childhood, how about a ‘What if?’ moment of curiosity for adults? Here’s a starter set of questions – with one rider. No application of prior adult learning allowed!
So. Stay still for a moment, think…and question once more …as a child.
Why is the sky (different shades) of blue?
Why do we have dreams?
What if there was no ‘time’?
Where does the wind stop?
How would I explain the colour purple to someone blind from birth?
What if I could go back to being a child?
