Tell me about ...Curiosity

This article talks of how a 3 year old will ask 100 questions a day but by 10 or 11 the child stops asking. They go on to say that curiosity rarely outlasts childhood. In a visit to a museum a while back, I noted that we used to go all the time but then stopped when the kids got too old for it.  However I derive much pleasure from it. Why do we stop visiting museums when we do visit art galleries?  

In lockdown I did a number of Uni courses online, and that day devoted to learning was the highlight of my week, each week. I was energised and charged, even though I was easily the dumbest in the class - I guess I had a lot to learn so I was constantly stimulated, not just by the lecturer but by the global chat of ideas and opinions.

When we were at Mona, I was informed that they rewarded curiosity, and because I had asked what was behind a curtain, I was allowed into the hidden salon. In Tokyo, as I recently explained, my curiosity was again rewarded. This article talks of the importance of novelty, and it's curiosity that seeks that out. It asks if we can genuinely spark curiosity, and I do believe we can, simply because once you've had your curiosity rewarded, you are keen to repeat that experience.

I think one of the saddest things as we age is that we lose our curiosity, while at the same time we don't see it as a fault in ourselves. We belittle the thing we don't know about, we stay close to home, we don't try new things. It becomes a small little world that we know, and we have no interest in broadening it. We can't be bothered. We're reluctant to try new things. It's so sad and disappointing. This is a great article on why we begin to lose our curiosity.

Curiosity in many scientific studies shows positive impacts on adaptive ageing and happiness. Bottom line is, we should all live like Alice (in Wonderland). She followed her curiosity and explored new worlds, made new friends along the way and had mostly a lot of fun. It is not so much the end result of learning but the discovery that makes curiosity so vital to our well being. 

“I could never be content to take my place by the fireside and simply look on. Life was meant to be lived, and curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.”

― Eleanor Roosevelt

Have you noticed your world view shrinking a little with age? 

 

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