THE CURIOSITY ITCH

Another example of Proverbial Garbage.

The message behind the “curiosity killed the cat” proverb, as it is applied to man, is that there are places man ought not poke his nose lest he discover something not to his liking, or flat out endanger his life.

That may be as vile a piece of advice as man has ever conceived.

Man’s steady progression from the caves to the stars and beyond is rooted in curiosity about the world in which he lives, curiosity about what is out there, what is possible. When coupled with the desire to make the life of mankind better, richer, more meaningful, more enduring, it has produced every solitary invention from the matchstick to organ transplants. It has been a vital component in every work of art ever created. It is the fuel that has propelled every archaeological journey that has shed light on our past and our heritage. It can be found at the heart of every romantic relationship.

When a child asks “Why is the sky blue, Daddy?” or “Is there really a Santa Claus?” it is voicing the latent curiosity that is in each of us and is the beginning of its quest for knowledge about the world in which it lives. Those questions, and many others, are the signs of a healthy, active mind.

Certainly, all life entails risk and a commensurate measure of care should be taken when engaging in any human activity. But to denigrate to any extent the life giving concept of curiosity rather than to honor it, to cast a shadow over it or to suggest it is man’s enemy in the slightest, is to dampen his passion to explore the unknown, to know more today than he knew yesterday. My father would ask me each night what one thing did I know then that I hadn’t known in the morning. That was his way of sparking the seed of curiosity that he knew was within me…that is within each of us.

What separates us from the animals is our ability to learn ever more about our world, and our ability to use that knowledge to enrich our lives. They are fed by curiosity, which may have killed the cat, but has given man an exciting, abundant life.