Some Poetry

I often find that certain poems speak to me, in ways that words cannot do justice. I found one such of these poems while watching the popular movie Interstellar, and I believe that it relates quite well to the idea of being and Inquirer. The poem expresses that even near the end of our days we must continue to fight until the very end. It is quite a noble poem and a has very interesting message.

Do not go gentle into that goodnight

Dylan Thomas 

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.


I think one of the more interesting things about poetry is that it can bring up a lot of questions, and many of them will not and cannot be answered. Reading poetry can help people understand that we all interpret poetry in different ways. Poetry lets us realize that even if we ask all the questions we can, sometimes there isn't a definite answer.

Benefits of being an Inquirer

It may seem far out of your reach to be an Inquirer but in fact it can be made part of your daily life. There are many ways to make yourself a more inquiring person. Here I will provide links to articles that I found interesting, and suggest all should read to better understand what it means to be an Inquirer.

Personal Gain

http://tinyurl.com/hbkw238

This focuses the more practical value of asking better questions, and what can be gained but just being inquisitive. Overall it goes into depth about the more selfish benefits of asking questions, and the importance of wording them in a way that is more favorable for results. While I understand why many may find this a more pertinent use of being an Inquirer, I also believe that there is much more than better personal gain.

http://tinyurl.com/j9vancl
Another article relating to the more personal gains from being a great Inquirer, this stresses the importance and potency questions have. The prime example of great success caused by proper questioning is the incredibly popular, Oprah Winfrey. This article decided to break down how questioning can lead to success into bullet points:

• Inspire Creativity & Innovation
• Sell Your Product or Idea
• Improve Decision Making
• Create a Learning Culture
• Direct Focus
• Develop Others
• Get Commitment to Change
• Motivate Others
• Grow in Our Own Self-Awareness

Improving Society

http://tinyurl.com/j2vojdh

This blog strikes my interest because it goes into depth about how spark curiosity in others. The article details the three steps of curiosity:

1. Create conflict
2. Introduce novelty
3. Encourage perplexity

Toronto "Obay" advertisement

It was very interesting to see the real life situation brought up in the article, en event about an advertisement that was placed in Toronto, Canada.

The purpose of the ad. was to get people to realize that what their children want is important, and specifically that they should be able to think for themselves without disciplinary repercussions.

In doing so, many members of the community became aware of the importance of free thinking, and the importance of encouraging curiosity in children.





Something to keep in mind:

"In an age where information is superabundant, the potential value to be be gained from understanding and harnessing the power of curiosity is huge" -- David Blake, 2014 

Exploration and Inquirers

First, I think it would be important to go into depth, the most apparent are real importance of inquirers today. The human race always needs people who search for the unknown, and people who go the distance even if they are told time and time again that "we have discovered all that we need to have discovered". Often times the people who don't listen to this saying are often remembered as discovering incredible things.

To start off, I think this video by Brian Cox really expresses many of the great things that can result from being always curious. While the video may be long, Brian brings up many important points about how society views being curious and or an inquirer.

So, while it may be a little wordy at times, and more space exploration centered, Brian's main point is that we need those inquirers, and we need to realize their value to the human race as a whole. One quote that I found really impactful from his TED talk is as follows:

"The argument has always been made, and it will always be made, that we know enough about the universe. You could have made it in the 1920s; you wouldn't have had penicillin. You could have made it in the 1890s; you wouldn't have the transistor. And it's made today in these difficult economic times." -- Brain Cox, 2010

It really is a harrowing thought, to think if people long ago had just stopped being curious. How can we justify discouraging curiosity when all human innovations were the result of this one, incredibly powerful, and human driving force.

Being an Inquirer

This blog is about being an Inquirer, one of the International Baccalaureate traits. I believe that this trait is the most important, and this blog will that.

One of the most important aspects a person can have is that of being an Inquirer. It is also my personally held belief that being curious is what makes humans so unique.

Being an Inquirer means searching for the truth. This means that and Inquirer is searching the unknown, looking for its true nature. Curiosity and Wanderlust often accompany a strong inquirer. That being said, everyone doesn't have to be constantly going into the great unknown to be considered and Inquirer. All one must do is to never stop questioning, even if it may not be welcomed by society as a whole.

My blog is inspired by the Philosiblog (http://tinyurl.com/h999yoo), especially their page on the curiosity of Albert Einstein. He is an amazing example of what can be possible when we are always curious. I will leave you with another insightful quote by Einstein, and his view of formal education.

"It is a miracle curiosity survives formal education" -- Albert Einstein