Curiosity and Wonder…..
When facilitating workshops, I offer a distinction made by my mentor, John Renesch, between curiosity and wonder. Curiosity, he said, can come from a place of Ego where we’re curious about a thing because we want to “figure it out” or “problem solve”. Wonder, on the other hand, is more spacious and open; we’re not trying to “know” anything, we’re just wondering about it and seeing what we notice.
John made this remark almost offhand a few years ago and I thought it was profound enough that it became part of the standard instructions for workshop participants as they begin a journaling exercise or head off into small groups (or breakout rooms) to explore the topic at hand. So, I got curious (yes, curious) when a workshop participant sent me this message on LinkedIn:
“You were so WONDER-FULL today. Exactly what so many of us needed. Thanks so much for your wisdom AND wonder✨️
When you have a moment, can you please share again your distinction between curiosity & wonder. It was so profound and I want to just hear it again from your end.
Have a WONDER-FUL weekend!”
Clearly the importance of “WONDER” had landed for her just as it had for me years earlier, but I had no clear answer to give her! I found myself struck by how quickly something profound can become rote to me, part of the “standard pitch”, and what a gift to be reminded that this is not a distinction to be taken for granted.
I’m also sitting with some sadness and gratitude. Sadness, because I would love to wonder about this with John over lunch at Lemongrass Thai on Union Street (his de facto office) but he’s been dead for a year. Gratitude because I’m reminded of John’s influence and how he lives on through the countless people that he touched with his work and his writings. If I shared this message with him I’m pretty sure he’d smile and say, “Good work, Grasshopper”.
Still, my ego says that this lovely woman deserves an answer, but perhaps I’ll content myself by suggesting, as John likely would, that she just wonder about it.
…
Epilogue: So….my Ego really needed to know so I asked Chat GPT 4.0, which seems to mostly agree with John…
“Curiosity and wonder are both states of interest and fascination, but they differ in their depth and focus.
Curiosity is a desire to learn or know about something. It is an eagerness to explore, discover, and figure things out. It is often associated with a specific question or problem that needs to be solved. For example, you might be curious about how a particular machine works, or why a certain event happened.
Wonder, on the other hand, is a feeling of awe and admiration, often mixed with surprise, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, or inexplicable. It is a deeper, more emotional response that often involves a sense of mystery or transcendence. For example, you might feel wonder when looking at a beautiful sunset, or contemplating the vastness of the universe.
In short, curiosity is more about seeking answers, while wonder is more about marveling at the mysteries of life.”
I also looked on John’s website, thinking he may have written an article on this. He hadn’t, but I did find this on the related topic of “Awe”…
Love,
-Craig
About the author: Craig Souza helps leaders and their teams welcome the trouble of postnormal times by leading with love and authenticity. Learn more and contact Craig through LinkedIn at or email him at craig@businessawakens.com
