Curiosity Killed the Cat – Did It Though?

“Mama, why is the sky blue?”

“Dad, why are fish so slimy?”

“Gramma, why are Grandpa’s ears so hairy?”

Kids are full of curiosity; in fact we’re born with this innate sense of exploration and wonder. Everyday there is something new to be discovered and we want to know all about it.

We put things in our mouths, our noses, our little hands. We use all our senses to figure out how everything works and how we fit into it all.

As kids we ask, we seek, and we find.

And then we hit around 10 where curiosity and the naturally inquisitive mind are no longer appreciated by our parents, teachers and adults.

The answer very soon becomes, “Because,” or “That’s the way it is.” Full STOP!

I grew up believing that being curious was a bad thing, a thing that got you in trouble, a thing to be wary of – better to toe the line, maintain status quo, and don’t question, above all, don’t question.

So I went back to the original idiom which was:

“Care killed the cat.”

And ‘care’ in the 16th century meant ‘worry’ or ‘sorrow’ revealing the dark side of curiosity – meddling and prying into other people’s business.

The funny thing is, this is exactly what we land up doing when we are not being inquisitive with a desire to know. We poke around in other people’s business which in fact can cause the death of a relationship, or a career, or a multitude of other things we may value.

I wish we had been given permission to experience and understand the two sides of this coin: to see the wonder and fullness of life; while at the same time understanding how prying can lead to unnecessary pain and suffering.

As children we live every day in wonder of what is, what can be explored, what is that over there – “squirrel”. And this is how we learn about the world around us.

In reflection I guess we did learn about the world around us – we learned that there are limitations to being curious.

I hope that we all take a moment to be curious about ourselves, the people in our lives, the world in which we live, and to do it with a heart and desire to know and connect – to build up, not take down.