INQUIRY - a seeking or request for truth, information, or knowledge; study, scrutiny, exploration.
 |
| From Art of Teaching Science. org as inspired by J. Richard Sachman who said, "Inquiry is the way people learn when they're left alone." |
Inquiry week is upon us! This is one of my favorite weeks of my project. Who am I kidding, I love every week for different reasons!! Inquiry is probably, however, the root of everything. It is my underlying interest in asking questions which has fostered this game and my love of exploration that keeps me going. I was taking a look at my upcoming virtues, normally I am so engrossed with the virtue at hand I get surprised by the next one, and I realized I have six weeks to go and my year long experiment will be over! I think I've already told you, I intend on continuing the project but I will be doing something fabulous to mark the end of the first year... exactly what I'm still not entirely sure s if you have any ideas please let me know!
This week I am returning to my practice of coming up with Bliss Initiatives on Monday to foster the virtue for the week. Last week I intended on doing the same thing each day instead of utilizing a bunch of different initiatives and I don't think it worked as well as my standard way of operating. I may not DO every initiative I come up with but considering them really grounds the week for me in a most delightful way!
- Flash Inspiration - During whimsy weeks I have had a lot of fun conducting Flash Inspiration searches where I search on "Whimsical _________ (fill in the blank)" in google and see what shows up. I am going to modify this process for Inquiry week and substitute the word Bliss for the word Whimsical. Since my entire project is about fostering more Bliss, I thought this would be a fun inquiry to engage in.
I just did it for "Bliss Food" and found a fun website called "Belly Bliss" who's tag line is "an extreme state of happiness through food." Yep I think I'm on to something with this mode of inquiry!
- Social Media Inquiry - This week I want to learn all I can about social media. I Twitter a bit and use Facebook to stay in touch with friends around the globe but I'm interested in seeing what if any cross play I can develop with my blogs. I'm headed to Bloggy Boot Camp this weekend so I think that will help me in this inquiry as well. Again if there are resources you think I should be checking out please please let me know!
- Blogversary Inquiry - I know I want to do SOMETHING to mark my upcoming blogging anniversary so I'm going to poke around and see what others have done and come up with my own twist on things. My intention is to make what ever I do fun and exciting for you, my regular readers and and to encourage others to check out the blog. I think I will have some type of giveaway or contest but nothing standard... I want what ever I do to foster community in a new and fun way!
- Integral Inquiry- I couldn't let the week go by without once again considering my own fascination for Integral Thought and the possible role it could have on solving some of our biggest problems. I'm not entirely certain I'll have the kind of time I'd like to take for this inquiry but I'll post it here as a reminder!
I introduced this concept briefly during my first Inquiry week. I will be donning my geek cap and musing on some of the big questions about the world and how it all works. I have decided to spend some time this week with Ken Wilber. Not literally of course, but over at his Integral+Life and +kenwilber.com web sites one can listen to his lectures and read a lot of his most recent work so it feels like you are spending time with him. If you are not familiar with Ken I think his integral approach to discovery is certainly something everyone could find useful. Some of his stuff can get pretty heady so if you are not quite up to that this week there is no need to follow me in this inquiry!. For those of you interested in getting to know Ken's work and world view I highly recommend A Brief History of Everything
. I have read it multiple times and have always come away wanting more and learning more. The Shambala Publications website describes A Brief History of Everything:
. I have read it multiple times and have always come away wanting more and learning more. The Shambala Publications website describes A Brief History of Everything:In a breathtaking trip from the Big Bang to the Postmodern world we inhabit, Ken Wilber examines the universe and our place in it—and comes up with an accessible and entertaining account of how it all fits together. Along the way he sheds light not only on the great cosmic questions but on various contentious issues of our day, such as environmental ethics, gender relations, multiculturalism, and even the meaning of the Internet. "A Brief History of Everything
" is the perfect introduction to the great Integral thinker at his wise and witty best.OK I guess that enough for today! Phew... I'm getting tired just thinking about all this! Once again this week is about exploration. These are some of the things I am interested in this week. You are welcome to join me in my inquiries but it likely will be a lot more satisfying to come up with some of your own!
What do you want to explore this week?
Next Post - A guest post by the very interesting SamsaricWarrior (who is kind enough to share his thoughts on his birthday!)