Like feathers at the mercy of the wind so did my childhood now way in the distant past. However, one thing that has not waned with the passing of time is my curiosity. Even though at a tender age my siblings and I were cautioned that “Curiosity killed the Cat,” it has stuck like the white coating on rice.
Based on the above saying, should curiosity be feared or valued? Some views reveal that our inquisitiveness, our curiosity, contributes to our personal growth. It introduces us to new possibilities and offers the stimulation to seek out new avenues. In this regard, curiosity is essential to our growth in every aspect of life. Other views look at our ever-changing, wacky and dangerous world and see curiosity when unbridled as something that could dull our decision-making ability to make right choices. It has that power to influence our actions even when those actions could be detrimental. Looking at curiosity from this vantage-point, it can be regarded as the big leash that leads us around, disables our self-control and inactivates our regard for danger.
These two scenarios left me standing at the crossroads of indecision pondering long and in earnest to find an answer to the pressing question, “Is curiosity a friend or a foe?” My wait was no farther than a most recent trip to the mall. The peaceful shopping experience that I had envisioned for the day was interrupted by earth-shattering screams that left their hallowed place to pierce my eardrums. Never could I have imagined that such a deafening sound could have emerged from vocal cords owned by someone no taller than two feet. This very young human saw something that unleashed his natural curiosity and fascination so he decided to investigate on his own. However, sooner than later he found himself in a strange place with only unfamiliar faces to fill his space.
Does curiosity wear two hats—friend and foe? Is it a “two-edged sword” as voiced by one view? There is no doubt that on one hand this young child’s curiosity to explore the “unknown” could be considered as healthy but on the other, could have had dire consequences. However, my quest to find the long-sought answer was minimized by the spontaneous gesture of kindness of the many “good Samaritans” from different walks of life who were instrumental in safely reuniting parent and child. Undoubtedly, it was their inquisitiveness, their curiosity, that led them to the child’s aid.
That scene became the catalyst for the launching of my latest children’s book, Willie the Curious Panda. The panda’s unbridled and unquenchable thirst for the outside “world” landed him in grave danger, but rescue came from an unlikely source. The book highlights curiosity as an urge that pushes us to explore the continuous changes that occur daily in our environment, but it also heightens the existential dangers that curiosity poses when it is unchecked. The book climaxed with the good side of curiosity. It provides life lessons that kindness is not linked to any specific ethnic, religious or social background. It has no distinction—no line of demarcation.
So, this provokes the question: “Is curiosity a friend, a foe or both?” You are the judge.
CURIOSITY
(“An eager desire to know or learn about something.”- Cambridge Dictionary)