If you decide to not take something at face value and dig a little deeper to uncover what truly makes it what it is, then you are curious. Are you curious?
It’s no secret that I am driven by curiosity. Those who know me best will tell you as a kid I would always run around energetically working to discover something new. I was a master storyteller, often to my demise. One day my curiosity veered to a sharp halt.
What is curiosity?
Princeton WordNet will tell you curiosity is: a state in which you want to learn more about something. Dictionary.com will tell you that curiosity is: the desire to learn or know about anything; inquisitiveness.
Real world definition: curiosity is the freedom to explore that which interests you.
How we suppress curiosity
I found myself as a teenager self-halting my curiosity for a time in pursuit of other things I thought would bring me more freedom. Thankfully in my late teens my grandfather kicked me in the rear and motivated me to ‘be curious’. He lived an interesting life and would always share with me his stories like any great grandpa would do, but to me it was amazing.
He advised me to be my own man and don’t follow the crowd. This has spilled over into my adult life and has been a guiding light for me.
Do we suppress our curiosity in pursuit of other things?
What are some of the things we do in life that suppress curiosity?
- Career that lacks meaning
- Education track not passionate about
- Self-inflicted stress
The other truth is that sometimes outside environmental variables can affect our way of life. This can often be the case if you are in an abusive situation or trampled on emotionally.
Dangers of suppressing curiosity
Albert Einstein said, “Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death”. So true. We don’t want to ever stop our growth mentally, emotionally, spiritually, or physically. When that happens, we can stunt the kind of growth that gets us ahead, in business and life.
Education is important. You could say there are ‘traditional education’ and ‘non-traditional education’ tracks. They often converge and meet in the middle at some point, usually through some self-discovery.
I grew up in a house where traditional education was always encouraged and at the forefront of my life. On the other hand, through life experiences and self-educating, I’ve discovered it’s not the only way to be ‘educated’.
Curiosity is an important part of education, both traditional and non-traditional. When curiosity and inquisitiveness is suppressed, a dangerous thing can happen. Apathy grows, attentions are shortened, and the learning process (life and academic) can lose meaning.
Opening up to inquisitiveness
For educators:
Encourage curiosity, let minds that are inquiring grow and thrive. Innovation happens here.
For students (all of us):
Push yourself to reach outside of the box. Learn traditionally and non-traditionally. Find what captures your interest and embrace it. Keep an open mind.
(Photo credit: John Dressel)
Question: What drives your curiosity?