By Victoria Keith
When navigating life, being as curious as an alien from Mars is beneficial. The college experience is dependent on how many questions you ask. We can be adventurous, try new things, experience diverse cultures, and experiment in other majors. Of course, asking the right questions is also crucial. When it comes to asking questions, Daniel Silliman (Journalist for Christianity Today) has some suggestions based on his experiences. In his visit to Convocation on Monday, he took us on a journey of his experience diving into the world of journalism. This left me with a sense of empowerment to be always more inquisitive about opening deeper conversations.
“Let your weirdness be your superpower, let it be a vantage point from which to see, let it be the place you stand that allows you to be curious that empowers you to be interested. You can connect with the world in the most profound ways if you let your alienness be. Out of that, alienness curates curiosity, empathy, and a deep desire to know.” – Daniel Silliman
I want to challenge all of you to ask more questions as well. We all know the beginning of finding information, “Who, When, Where, and How?” but beyond that, we need to dig even more profound. Particularly these questions Daniel posed to us:
- What did you first start to think about…?
- What got you interested in…?
- When you started, what were your expectations…?
- What changes have you gone through as a result?
These are the questions that open space for a story to unfold.
As stated, all of us have a unique weirdness, and instead of shying away from it, we can use it as our superpower in life, standing out as an alien from society to observe better. I related to his statements deeply in my own life. I have a history of looking at life through the lens of an investigator. I often question, “Why?” even when it may seem obvious to gain a better understanding. Like many others, it is at my core that I crave to understand the world we live in. I have found this curiosity to benefit me immensely.
Will you use your “weirdness” as your superpower to understand or let it go to waste?
