I feel like my brain is dying. I used to be curious about everything—I read widely, took up new hobbies, asked questions constantly. Now I come home from my work as an accountant, scroll my phone for three hours, and go to bed. Last week my 8-year-old asked me why the sky is blue and I said "Google it" because I was too tired to think. Then I felt ashamed. When did I become this person? I want to recapture the sense of wonder I had as a kid. I want to learn things for the joy of learning, not for career advancement. But every time I try to start a new book or hobby, I give up after a few days because it feels pointless. How do I rekindle curiosity when adult life has crushed it out of me? — Intellectually Dead in Indianapolis
Rekindling wonder. Einstein's playful imagination meets da Vinci's rigorous observation.
I feel like my brain is dying. I used to be curious about everything—I read widely, took up new hobbies, asked questions constantly. Now I come home from my work as an accountant, scroll my phone for three hours, and go to bed. Last week my 8-year-old asked me why the sky is blue and I said "Google it" because I was too tired to think. Then I felt ashamed. When did I become this person? I want to recapture the sense of wonder I had as a kid. I want to learn things for the joy of learning, not for career advancement. But every time I try to start a new book or hobby, I give up after a few days because it feels pointless. How do I rekindle curiosity when adult life has crushed it out of me? — Intellectually Dead in Indianapolis
Albert Einstein
"Imagination is more important than knowledge—and it begins with play"
50 votes
Leonardo da Vinci
"Study the science of art and the art of science—learn how to see"
46 votes
96 votes total
Full Positions
From Einstein, the searcher : $b his work explained from dialogues with Einstein
"Imagination is more important than knowledge—and it begins with play"
The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. Your child asked about the sky—that was an invitation to wonder together, not a problem to solve. Put down the phone. Look up. Ask "why" alongside your child.
From The Renaissance: Studies in Art and Poetry
"Study the science of art and the art of science—learn how to see"
Everything connects to everything else. Your problem is not lack of curiosity but lack of attention. The phone fragments your mind. Try this: spend one hour observing a single object—a leaf, a shadow, your own hand. Draw what you see. Curiosity follows attention.