I love the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
Not too hot. Not too cold. Just right.
Goldilocks herself used to annoy me. This blond-haired entitled child that had no concern for private property and personal belongings. But then I gave it some more thought because on the other hand, she knew exactly what made her content by figuring out what she didn’t like.
In our Big History class, that is a major theme. Goldilocks conditions.
When we began diving into astrophysics and cosmology, we found that temperature, and even the slightest variations in it, led to the formation of stars.
Not too hot. Not too cold. Just right.
We don’t leave the story of “just right” to the formation of the universe, we also look at the Goldilocks conditions for most of the discoveries and leaps of knowledge we have made including our ability to collectively learn.
What conditions made it just right for Galileo to make his scientific discoveries and publish them? Well, for one thing, Galileo really wanted to be a priest and his father recognized his abilities and pushed him into studying medicine where he stumbled upon other sciences that sparked a passion which led to the accepted view of a heliocentric universe.
What conditions made it just right for Henrietta Leavitt to discover the first standard of measures (luminosity and Cepheid variables) to calculate the span of distance galaxies? First of all, the time in which she was born – a time when women could attend college and study astronomy. There were several pieces like having the means to support herself to continue her work.
We are always on the look out for even the smallest variables that created the perfect porridge.
The story of Goldilocks that I tell the kids involves seven bears with seven very different types of porridges, chairs, and beds – their own individual Goldilocks conditions to start their day right. One of the bears always protests to the outdoor stroll because their ideal morning begins with waking up a little later.
When we meet our own Goldilocks conditions, we take a leap in creativity, in growth, and especially, as seen in our universe and in scientific discovery, increases in complexity.
I posed this question to the group of teens in my Big History class:
What are your Goldilocks conditions in order for you to feel at your best?
The number one answer was SLEEP. Getting 9-10 hours asleep was key for these teens to feel great. Number two was SOLITUDE.
(In my opinion, sleep and solitude are one of the most undervalued components in assessing quality of life and some of the big reasons we homeschool and especially as they move into adolescence. BIG reason. More on this in a later post.)
TODAY’S PROMPT:
Think of your own bursts of creativity and joy. Reflect on the Goldilocks conditions – internal/external “temperatures” – that allow for those moments. Where are your boundaries for “too hard/too soft” or “too much/too little”? What are the physical, emotional, spiritual, environmental conditions that are just right for YOU?
Imagine all the possible “just right” scenarios for yourself and the outcome desired. If it’s being creative, what do you need? Do you need routine? A morning coffee? A quiet space? If it’s achieving a low-stress level, what are the conditions? Solitude? Journalling? Taking a device break?
Pick one or more or all…
- Journal the Goldilocks conditions that lead to the outcome desired.
- Draw the Goldilocks conditions that lead to the outcome desired.
- Chart the Goldilocks conditions that lead to the outcome desired.
- Write a poem on the Goldilocks conditions that lead to the outcome desired.
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