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When Smallsteps gets home from school, I make her some food and then we generally spend the time we eat together talking about the day, which runs into various conversations about possibly anything. Today, she asked me what I write about and where I put it, as she sees me write often. This led into a discussion about what kinds of things are interesting to write about and what is interesting to learn. We have tried to encourage her to do more than she consumes and be curious enough about her world to question it.

> No stupid questions?

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![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/23yx3nFJF3Mm3KbcULxkT6pJ3UPtp9xEim3iFkVPXGYcWWtCC55ysDEkgSSFDSVX4sr1D.png)


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> I am not so sure about that.

Because I think when people ask questions that they could know the answer to with a little thought, it is pretty stupid. I have been *trying* to get my daughter to slow down and do the thinking before looking for the answer externally, because the process of problem-solving isn't innate - it takes practice. If we aren't even able to develop the answers to the things we are able to think through easily, the chances of us being able to think deeply to solve complex issues, is highly unlikely. 

> Smallsteps asks some stupid questions sometimes.

It is part of being a kid, because kids can be pretty lazy when it comes to doing the work when they needn't. When she knows someone already has the answer, she will often ask for it instead of find out for herself. And while that might seem "smart" to some, it is something I believe would cost her ability to critically think in the future, as it has for many of the people who have grown up and rely heavily on google support. And when young people have grown up with the answer at their fingertips their entire lives, they have often failed to learn the processes to discover the answers for themselves. Their brains are underdeveloped, because they haven't exercised them. 

I reckon at some point it will be possible to tell the difference between a brain raised on screens and one raised through practical experience. Perhaps it already is so. But I suspect that the people who are the most successful in the future, aren't going to be the ones who are unable to critically think well enough to create solutions. The people who have always had the answer at their fingertips handed to them on a digital platter, instead of making the journey of discovery themselves. 

> The more answers provided, the less skill people own. 

As I was talking about stories with my daughter, we discussed how a good story doesn't have to be factual or real, but it can still connect with real experiences. In my opinion, a good story helps me develop in some way, not just entertains me enough to take up some time space in my life. I want to learn something that challenges me enough that it changes me for the better, even if only slightly. It isn't enough to just make me think, if it doesn't lead me to adjustment. 

Technically, we can learn something useful from any kind of experience, but that is also a pretty indiscriminate way to learn. Instead, I reckon we should be a little more discerning with the content we consume, because as far as our bodies work, *we are what we eat.* We tend to replicate and repeat what we surround ourselves with and it is the stories we build from our environment that guide our behaviours. If we want to change something in our life, it is far, far easier to design our environment to support the change. Transversally, if we want to change something in our lives but surround ourselves with stimuli that doesn't support the change, we are likely to struggle. 

My daughter is a pretty good story teller when she puts her mind to it and she gave me an overview of a couple that she has written recently, and I found it interesting. Her stories are clever, and funny, but what stands out the most is that there is a sense of irony in them, even though she doesn't know what that is or include it intentionally. They are mini Greek tragedies, where the protagonist tries and fails, to comedic effect. 

> And they are wholesome.

After our meal, she went up to her room and disappeared for a couple hours, while I was doing a little work and trying to train our puppy, which is fast becoming a tragedy for the ages in and of itself. When I called her down, I enquired to her activity assuming she was listening to an audiobook and playing, but instead she was writing stories. She has been writing on and off for a while now, but in the last few months she has been becoming more curious about it, and creativity in general. 

We have talked about facets off it often, but I feel that the creative force is starting to awaken in her where she is looking to test and develop her own ideas, whether through words on the page, conversation, or notes on the piano. She is developing her own voice. It is impossible to tell what she will do in the future, but I have a feeling that she will learn a lot along the way, and others will too. 

Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]


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