Curiosity

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious," quoted by sir Albert Einstein. Curiosity is the mother of invention. Remember the annoying aunt, uncle, or teacher, who poured cold water on your eager questioning with a dismissive “Curiosity killed the cat!”? Fortunately many educators today are regarding curiosity as a strength, even in a ‘marks-obsessed’ educational culture like ours. While the world still mourns the loss of Professor Hawking -- a renowned scientist famed for his work on black holes and relativity, I am stuck with some curiosities. Why do we have only a limited number of extraordinary scientists on earth? Why are we not able to nurture such incredibly intelligent talent in large numbers? In my opinion, the current generation to has the potential to deliver path-breaking researches & discoveries; however, their curiosities are misplaced and not aligned with productivity. Curiosity is the foundation of building a resilient career in pursuit of our dreams. And it has three clear benefits. First, it enhances our ability to learn and also helps us retain information longer and more meaningfully. Second, there is a direct correlation between our levels of curiosity and our level of openness to personal growth development, opportunities, and our ability to connect with different kinds of people around us. Third, it has immense capacity to quash the stereotypes that we much easily can get caught up in and helps us develop an open and growth mindset. It’s the nature of being curious that enables a person to open up new roads, vistas, and avenues all the time. Curiosity lies at the root of all great discoveries and inventions. It was Columbus’s curiosity to go and see beyond what he was accustomed to seeing. Had he not been curious, he would never have sailed out in search of a new world and a new sea route. Curiosity also helps with negative emotions. If you feel angry, sad, anxious, or lonely, look at the feelings with interest; they’re trying to tell you something: you need to take better care of yourself, your life is out of balance, you’re in a difficult situation, and need support. Being friendly and curious, rather than ignoring the feelings or trying to get rid of them, you’re more likely to hear their messages and do something constructive. When there’s no curiosity, there’s complacency: the biggest foe to creativity. There is banality sans curiosity. Some thoughts get etched in our consciousness like this one: ‘Be curious always! For knowledge will not acquire you; you must acquire it.’ Curiosity may kill a cat, but it (often) enlightens a human being. “When curiosity is alive, we are attracted to many things; we discover many worlds.” – Quoted by Eric Booth. When curious people fail, they analyze their failure, because they are keen on knowing the reasons, so they can do better the next time. This increases their chance of success. Being curious is important for excelling in any job and doing it better, because you ask questions, learn from others, and look for ways to do your job better. If you show more interest in what you are doing, you indicate that you care and want to learn and progress. Now many of us might sometimes think Why is curiosity important? So here is the answer to this question, it is important because it makes your mind active instead of passive i.e. Curious people always ask questions and search for answers in their minds. 

Their minds are always active. Since the mind is like a muscle that becomes stronger through continual exercise, the mental exercise caused by curiosity makes your mind stronger and stronger. Another importance is it makes your mind observant of new ideas i.e. when you are curious about something, your mind expects and anticipates new ideas related to it. When the ideas come they will soon be recognized. Without curiosity, the new ideas may pass right in front of you, and yet you miss them because your mind is not prepared to recognize them. Another importance is it opens up new worlds and possibilities i.e. by being curious you will be able to see new worlds and possibilities which are normally not visible. They are hidden behind the surface of normal life, and it takes a curious mind to look beneath the surface and discover these new worlds and possibilities. And the last importance is it brings excitement into your life i.e. the life of curious people is far from boring. It’s neither dull nor routine. There are always new things that attract their attention, there are always new ‘toys’ to play with. Instead of being bored, curious people have an adventurous life. Now you might be having a question that how to develop curiosity? So here is the answer to this question to develop curiosity keep your mind open, Don’t take things as granted, Ask questions relentlessly, Don’t label something as boring, See learning as something fun. These are the essential key points to develop curiosity within you. Curiosity makes us interested in a board range of information about the world around us, not only that direct utility. We learn for the joy of learning. Most people, however, are incurious. They stifle curiosity because they assume what they believe or know is right, prefer passivity rather than the active mental state required by curiosity, create boundaries to manage and limit rather than explore and expand by curiosity, resist change and stay fixed in one place. Moreover, today’s technology makes people even less curious because they rely on the instantly gratifying a one-mouse-click answer, instead of exploring a bookstore or a library and being exposed to a diversity of information, have quick easy access to shallow, superficial information, forcing social conformity. Conformity, however, is the curiosity’s enemy, so you must defy it. Now you all might have a question that how to nurture the curious attitude? So here is the answer to it, First, find and remove what gets in the way of your curious mind. Second, never be too shy to ask questions, ask questions even when you think you know everything you need to know. Third, become more an interesting person and live a more interesting life by reconnecting with your inner child, sense of wonder, and mindset. Fourth, turn away from the familiar, and open your mind to new ideas, interests, experiences, and adventures. Fifth, dig deeper and understand the context, origin, and history of the things. Sixth, forge deep and quality relationships by showing your sincere and genuine interests in people around you, across all levels. Seventh, build your own lab full of experimental tools as your sandbox to tinker or try out new things; enjoy mistakes and failure. Finally, work with inquisitive minds, rather than just qualified and experienced people. Curiosity is a thirst that has to be quenched, an impulse that has to be satisfied, oftentimes no matter the price; its something that even if forgotten can be brought back and cultivated. Curiosity is an important ingredient of the process of learning at every age. So be curious explore more, innovate more, learn from your failures, keep learning. Lastly, I want to finish with the famous quote, quoted by Marie Curie “Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas.”