The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.

Plutarch

I didn’t plan to use our cat “Gypsy” for my featured image, but when I thought about the word curiosity, the old phrase “curiosity killed the cat” came to mind. I’ve never cared for that idiom because I think curiosity is a wonderful thing (and I love cats).

But, I’ve learned that the expression is more about nosiness—sticking your nose into other people’s business where it doesn’t belong. Now THAT I understand. So, it looks like curiosity is another one of those double edged words.

Curiosity, to me, is very similar to awe and wonder. It challenges our minds to ask questions and it makes us want to learn about things. When I got caught up in the rat race—working hard and playing hard—I lost my curiosity. Honestly, I think that losing curiosity may be one of the first steps people take toward losing hope. It’s like a total lack of interest in life and the world around you, and it breeds complacency and indifference.

Having no curiosity can also lead to taking things (even LIFE) for granted. It makes me think of a young teen (or even some young adults) sulking in his (or her) room—sitting next to a laptop, an iPhone, and a television—complaining because life is sooo BORING. On a side note… I think I actually did that when I was a teenager (minus the laptop and iPhone). Oh, the things I could have been learning if I had only been more curious!

I think curiosity is a bit like engine fuel. When we pay attention to what’s going on around us, or when we look at the world with awe and wonder, we realize that there is so much more to know, and so many things we can learn about. Curiosity sparks up that ignition and gets those old gears and wheels turning (and I know nothing about cars so please excuse me if my car analogies make you auto buffs cringe).

Come to think of it, if curiosity is like fuel then it’s one fuel that we can never run out of. EVER. There’ll always be more questions to ask, more things to be curious about, and more to learn because we’ll never know it all. So, unless you’re planning on sticking your nose into someone else’s business…

Stay Curious!

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

Walt Disney

That’s about all for now.

Thanks for joining me for the letter “C” in my series Life: From A to Z.