The Importance of Curiosity
The importance of curiosity is that it helps you search, sift, and explore your world. “Curiosity” questions and learns and make sense of the things you discover.
In light of this, it’s interesting that “Curiosity” is the name for one of NASA’s largest and most capable MARS Rover.
The Curiosity of a Child
We notice how curious our young grandchildren are when we go hiking. They charge outdoors! Boldly, they trail-blaze through “unknown territory” in the fields and woodlands, dashing ahead to find the next bend in the path. Inevitably, when they find a huge, rotted tree trunk, they stop to crawl inside! And they pop-out to scare the b’jeekers out of us! We laugh all the way to the river, where they skip stones across the smooth surface. Or they float sticks on the bubbling stream, to see which one will make it down fastest. Children! They poke and question, try-it-out, and explore all the rambling way.
Children are the very spirit of curiosity. The young ones learn from the world around them, just as they do from reading and instruction. Their interest urges them to question. They want to know HOW and WHY. What’s the reason? How does this work? Why didn’t that work?
Just watch children putting together a Lego project. They are willing to examine everything, even if they make a wrong turn. Then, when they find their mistake, they figure-out solutions, and try again.
A child’s sense of satisfaction in all this is a delight to see, reinforcing at an emotional level, the true importance of curiosity.
Born curious
You are born curious. Thereafter, as you grow, you – and your brain – develop and mature because of such inquisitiveness.
Curiosity can never be bored. It is altogether active. You can feel your active mind. It hankers to look and touch, taste and smell… to examine and investigate your world. And as you grow, your curiosity becomes a hunger, eager to know. Thus, you work at gaining knowledge or achieving a certain skill. Obviously, curiosity blooms through studying, taking lessons, boning-up-on, and becoming skilled in that thing that awakens your interest.
Success & the Importance of Curiosity
There is an innate respect for curiosity, because a probing mind very often finds success, and brings out your best, especially when you meet a challenge. Undeniably, your inquiring mind can have an electric effect! Moreover, it is hard-working and it keeps going to produce success. Authentic curiosity investigates and explores and discovers. As Einstein wrote of his success:
“I have no special talents.
I am only passionately curious.”
At home, in school or in the workplace, this is a path to learning at its best. As, the noted educator, Ken Robinson, observes,
“Curiosity is the engine of achievement.”
Enhancing the Importance of Curiosity
Inquiring minds support our mental, emotional and social well-being. Curiosity helps keep us connected because curiosity loves to explore new topics, and to consider different beliefs, habits and customs.
How can we enhance curiosity? We can keep curiosity alive in our conversations, discussions, reading, games, sports, crafting, hobbies. We can study and learn afresh as we poke and question, try-it-out, and explore!
Let curiosity take the lead! The young-ones do! Children are naturally, beautifully curious. They allow thought to bubble-up, and they genuinely feel their interest and eagerness… to explore and discover and trail-blaze into the “unknown territory” at the next bend in the path. This is curiosity at its best!
How fortunate are the curious, for they shall have tales to tell!
LIGHT ON!
