Humble curiosity: understanding leads to appreciation • Identity Abounds

Through learning about the other, at some point we start to realize that there is so much more to it than we could have imagined. This tipping point is described with the Dunning-Kruger effect: when we know little we think we know a lot, while after learning more we realize that we really don’t. This is where humbleness starts.

This tipping point is not so much about what exactly we learn. It’s a mindset. It’s about creating a curious and inquisitive mind that is open to taking in new information; to learning.

We need a mind that finds new, different things interesting and exciting. This will help us to value differences as opportunities to learn and practice open-mindedness.

Pablo Picasso said: “Through education comes understanding. Through understanding comes true appreciation.” Learning more will lead to more understanding, more curiosity and more humbleness. And this will lead to true appreciation of differences.

Appreciating differences is something else entirely from tolerating differences. The latter is to let others free and put up with divergent ways of life and thinking, but not to respect them. “To tolerate means to offend,” said Goethe. Without pursuing agreement with the other, we should establish an openness: a recognition of the reality and value of others’ ways and beliefs.

Not one personality typology tells you that one personality type is better than the other. And we should think this way about cultures, too.

We should fight our default mode of judging and qualifying. We should suspend opinion and judgment, even if your individualistic culture would value you to form and express an opinion. Choose curiosity.

Do not emphasize that we’re all the same, but recognize with genuine curiosity and appreciation that we are different. Differences are interesting.

Humble curiosity: seeking understanding will lead to appreciation

My perfect world

In my perfect world, I see more curiosity, more humbleness, more understanding, and more appreciation. I see people truly respecting each other and valuing differences, and I see fewer judgments and unfounded opinions.

With my work I hope to contribute to this. By sharing information and insight, I want to spark curiosity to foster humbleness, to create understanding to foster appreciation, and to help people see how excitingly different we all are.

This article is the last in a series of four in which I describe four steps we need to take to fight discrimination and change world views.