Page 23 - ADU Voice
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SPRING 2022 · ADU VOICE 23
That proverb kept popping into my head open mentality, allowing them to explore
throughout the day. It’s such a weird phrase. and discover what many others don’t.
At face value, I get what it means. But how
did this phrase originate? I like to think of curiosity as this magical
connection between our eyes and our brain.
Did someone see a cat poking around where For example, we could randomly notice the
it shouldn’t have been poking around and tiniest thing and start wondering why that
then pay the heavy consequences? Was specific thing is like that or how it became
someone testing the hypothesis that cats do, like that in the first place. Questions and curi-
in fact, have nine lives? Like any other curi- osity go hand in hand, and when they walk
ous individual, I googled myself to the next together with the right amount of focus and
level. determination, they meet their friend: the
answer. I hope this uncanny analogy made
Now the first thing I read was that that’s sense.
not even the full idiom. The complete idiom
is: “Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction Moving on, it feels like curiosity inspires a
brought it back.” That final phrase has a sig- sense of purpose and meaning, even when it
nificant impact on the meaning. The cat is leads to dead ends. Albert Einstein once said:
allowed to survive. It’s not killed by curiosity. “Curiosity has its reason for existing. One
cannot help but be in awe when one contem-
Honestly, that was a really cool surprise to plates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the
me because ever since I was little, I always marvellous structure of reality. It is enough
believed that people say ‘Curiosity killed the if one tries to comprehend only a little of this
cat’ to warn others of the perils of unneces- mystery every day.”
sary investigation. However, what the idiom
actually implies is that curiosity can lead to In essence, curiosity is beautiful because of
danger or tragedy on occasion. the puzzles it brings with it. It fuels our
inner desire to find answers
The human desire to know and comprehend and create something –
has been the driving force behind the growth whether big or small, good
and survival of our species. Even babies, or evil, funny or smart. It’s
whose minds are mushy potatoes and not how we satisfy that eager-
fully formed, are curious about everything ness to learn, that appetite
they see and touch. for knowledge, that lust
for learning, that quest to
An article I read online talked about how bring a dead cat back to
curiosity is the key to creativity and innova- life à la Frankenstein.
tion. According to the author, the mindset
of an innovator is characterised by childlike In the end, always
thinking and an insatiable desire for knowl- remember the true
edge. The world’s best inventors maintain an version of the popu-
intimate contact with their inner kids even lar platitude. “Curiosity
as grownups. They disregard societal cus- killed the cat, but satis-
toms, and approach circumstances with an faction brought it back.”
