The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening—A Poignant Journey Through Journalism, Global Connections, and Human Resilience in Today's World

by Ari Shapiro

At school, I was taught to acquire knowledge as a means to an end. I studied history to write a paper; I practiced math problems to pass an exam. My experiences in nature were different. Curiosity didn’t lead to knowledge in pursuit of some kind of end point. There was no destination to be reached. Curiosity just led to more questions, which led to more curiosity. The more I learned, the more complicated, nuanced, and interconnected the world seemed to become—like exploring a house with endless rooms. Even without the satisfaction of a letter grade, I found that infinite trail of curiosity to be a more rewarding path than studying to pass a test.

* * * I HOPE IT GOES WITHOUT saying that I believe in the importance of news. Democracy depends on accurate and truthful stories. But in these times that can feel apocalyptic, as we seem to grow increasingly alienated from the world and from one another, I keep returning to the truths I find in fiction.

men and women trying to marshal their energy and make sense of the senseless, as Randall said, “Dipping into art can be an act of self-care. It can be a cure. And if it’s not a cure, it can be a relief that allows you to rest, to go back out to fight again.”