Documentaries

Documentaries bewitch me.

They remind me that we are all connected through the experience of being human. We are exceptionally similar. And yet, we are all uniquely special.

One of my favorite things is when people give me their unsolicited opinions. (Notice I said “opinion” and not “advice.” Very different.) It’s free data. I don’t “unfollow” or “unlike” or “delete” people from my social media when they express wildly opposing viewpoints. That’s free data. You want to get on your soapbox about what you believe and why? I am here for it. I might disagree with you, but I’ll keep you on my feed. Free data.

Information that helps me understand people better and more deeply is intoxicating. Documentaries are like this for me. An open window into someone else’s experience or perspective is one I continually want to look through. I not only learn so much about the subject; I learn about myself, too. It gives me opportunities to see myself reflected in others and also opens my eyes to people and places and views very different from mine. (This also makes me think we should be exposing our youngest learners to mini-documentaries as another genre through which to learn about the world and themselves. Tell me this is not a good idea.)

Favorite documentaries to-date:

• Howard (Disney +)

• Dolly Parton: Here I Am (Netflix)

• My Octopus Teacher (Netflix)

(It is not lost on me that two of my favorite documentaries center around songwriters. I am completely fascinated by their writing process and their ability to craft lyrics that convey emotion and story. ON TOP of all that goodness, they create the music, too. The human mind and ability astonishes me. In Here I Am, Dolly says, "It's not like I'm a genius or anything." Respectfully disagree, Dolly.)

Curiosity drives us to learn and grow and empathize. Staying curious is vital.