thrown some rye flour and water into a jar, hoping for it to become sourdough starter.

if you don't have to do something a bit more active at some point such as stirring it or warming it a little or eventually kneading it.

not a cook and generally tries to avoid all such processes.

stirring is highly recommended to get air into the mixture. It has been stirred once already. It's sitting at room temperature which is considered to be close to ideal.

Eventually the starter gets added to other ingredients, to form bread, or other bread things (waffles).