23rd January 2026

Curiosity.

That’s a word that has caught my attention this week.

It has popped up at work, as one of those skills that the company seeks to encourage in its engineers.

Mindfulness meditations encouraged me to be curious about the sounds around us and the sensations of the body.

As I caught up with some science news, I was reminded that curiosity is arguably the single most-important qualification to be a scientist.

‘Curiosity’ is the name of NASA’s planetary rover, still exploring the surface of Mars more than fourteen years after launch.

It is also the name of an AI search engine, a video streaming service, a ‘university’, and a BBC game show – remember that one? No, I don’t either.

And in the gospel lectionary reading this week, two of John the Baptiser’s disciples were curious about the ‘Lamb of God’ as he walked by (John 1.35-42). So they followed him, leant from him, stood at distance as he was crucified, and, in time, told of their experiences.

So, what are you curious about today?

Ian Waddington