Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Did curiosity really kill the cat?


Being curious is just human nature and everyone has experienced it at least 100 times in their lifetime. Whether it’s about the time of day, the divorce between Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, the neighbors that just moved in down the street or even the topics that’s going to be on the next math test, being curious is just something everyone experiences throughout their lifetime. It can shape them into the person that they are today.-

Bernard Baruch once said:

“Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton asked why.”

            This quote deeply reminded of a five year old child who just couldn’t stop asking questions. (Like myself at that age) I would always start off with the question “What are you doing?” This proceeded with me asking why to every answer that follows. At that age, I was curious about everything. I asked questions like “Why is that book on the shelf?”  Or “Why is Barney purple?” I wanted to know about every single thing I perceived.  Anything that popped into my head at that age was being asked. I didn’t even worry if it was relevant to the situation; I just wanted to know why!

            At the age of 10 I was just as curious but my questions got a little but more complex. My questions evolved to “What is the name of the book on the shelf?”and “Where are we going during summer break?” or during excursions “Are we there yet?” I found out the time and place to ask a question and not to just ask about anything that popped into my head. This is the age when my grandma told me “curiosity killed the cat,” but I simply didn’t care. At that age, my curiosity led me into knowing the place where my mom hid my birthday gifts and that riding a bike with one hand is something only professionals and my older cousin can do.

When it came to reading my curiosity led me even further. When I saw a book in the library I just wanted to know what it was about and if I would be interested in it. Now as a 16 year old, I always ask myself what would happen if I wasn’t as curious as I was when I was younger. “How would I act now?” and “Would I have acquired so much outside knowledge?” Curiosity furthered not just my knowledge but shaped my personality as a whole. If I wasn’t as curious as I was, I wouldn’t have tried different ethnic foods, went on a roller coaster and discovered my passion for reading. Being curious changed my whole perspective on life and shaped me into the person I am today.

4 comments:

  1. I think it's very interesting how you approach curiosity. Rather than "killing the cat" - as the famous phrase goes - curiosity has expanded your wealth of knowledge and developed your persona into what it is now. I agree that it's good to be curious, because curiosity will lead us to our unfounded passions and the answers to our many unknown questions.

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  2. This is a great post, and something everyone can relate to. It's impossible for anyone not to know what it is to be curious. Curiosity can get us into trouble sometimes, but i think that your stance on curiosity presents a really beneficial aspect of being curious. We take risks and discover things in life that we may not have experienced if we weren't curious.

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  3. Curiosity is definitely something that haunts any human being. We are always wondering about things, but somehow never satisfied with the answer; probably because we are wondering what else could have happened if it was another answer. It's life asking the question, "What could've been?" curiosity is everywhere, but wondering what could've happened would not be a bad thing.

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  4. This is definitely something everyone can relate to. When you talked about how when you were 5 and always asking questions, I flashed back to when I used to ask questions. I like how you gave examples on how curiosity evolves and one gains more knowledge. Newton's curiosity definitely changed education and created fields of science that if he wouldn't have questioned why the apple fell, many of these studies could have never been discovered.

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