The Shape of Curiosity

To ask "why," and then "why again."

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” — Walt Disney

As a child, I was always asking extra questions. I always wanted to know why, and when I got an answer, I would ask why again and again. I think that's one of the most beautiful things about children, they're unafraid to admit they don't know and keep asking until the world starts to make sense.

That instinct never left me. In my teenage years, it manifested as trying new things and seeing what would happen if I stepped beyond my comfort zone. Later, it became travel. I trekked through the mountains of Nepal because I was curious to know what it would feel like to be on an expedition. I cycled the Shikoku Henro in Japan to experience a Buddhist pilgrimage. I traveled to Morocco to experience its beauty beyond what I had seen in photographs.

Travel is one form of curiosity, but conversation is another. I enjoy conversations with friends, with my parents, and most of all, with people I have never met before. I especially enjoy conversations with people I admire or whose work fascinates me because it is so different from my own. These exchanges can open a door just as wide as any journey.

Curiosity has many avenues. Sometimes it is travel; sometimes, art or music; and sometimes, psychedelics, not as an escape, but as a way to stretch perception and see the familiar from a new angle. In all these forms, curiosity changes the scale of the world. It teaches you things about people, places, and yourself.

Recently, I have become more drawn to curiosity through conversation than ever before. I want to listen and ask questions to see what emerges when you give someone the space to share their perspective. This desire led me to start recording conversations with artists, architects, designers, scientists, and entrepreneurs. I will soon share these recordings (here on substack and in your favorite podcast app) but they are just a byproduct.

The real reason remains the same:

To stay curious.

To keep noticing.

To ask "why," and then "why again."

— Bastiaan