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Extreme Esteem: Poking and prying with a purpose

“Curiosity is a willing, a proud, an eager confession of ignorance.”
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“Curiosity is a willing, a proud, an eager confession of ignorance.”

– S. Leonard Rubinstein, American author, teacher and lecturer

My granddaughter has learned to crawl and climb stairs and seems to have a fascination with just about everything. She loves the ornaments in the curio cabinet and the books on my bookshelf. Occasionally she “clunks” her head while exploring, but never cries for too long.

Children are filled with wonder – intrigued by everything. Children possess what Zen philosophy refers to as the beginner’s mind.

Curiosity is the desire to learn something new – a gift most adults have lost as we settle into a life that is predictable and seemingly, controllable. However, curiosity is an essential component of self-esteem building and empowered living.

As humans, we’re curious by nature. It’s hardwired into our brains.

It’s how every significant discovery down through history has been achieved.

Someone asked, “I wonder what would happen if….” But for some of us, our natural curiosity has been stifled by the challenges, disappointments and drudgery of everyday living. We’ve lost our innate appreciation of life.

My son has three cats, and they’re always getting into trouble – endlessly exploring every nook and cranny of his apartment.

When the patio door is open, they’re forever pushing their furry faces against the screen, trying to see what’s happening outside.

For animals, curiosity is merely a response to an immediate stimulus and a search for answers at the moment.

If we’re unable to understand why something has happened, we tend to look to our experience to recall what caused that sort of thing to happen before, instead of investigating to see what caused it this time.

That strategy can save us some time and effort, but it prevents us from learning new ideas that might change how we view things.

Why did that person not speak to me? She must not like me, because in the past that’s how people who didn’t like me acted.

Why did I get a flat tire this morning?

Because I have bad luck. I’ve always had bad luck.

Curiosity would prompt me to find out that maybe she does like me but was having a bad day, or that I really do have good things happen to me if I just allow myself to notice them.

In a paper entitled, The Psychology of Curiosity, Professor George Loewenstein of Carnegie Mellon University claimed that “Curiosity is the engine of intellectual achievement.”

Loewenstein went on to say that curiosity arises because there is a “gap in one’s knowledge” and that “the curious individual is motivated to obtain the missing information to reduce or eliminate the feeling of deprivation.”

When we’re curious, we have a “drive” to move forward powerfully to learn and succeed. Curiosity is a “potent motivator” for learning.

Curiosity has been proven to increase neurological connections in the brain and to stimulate the building of new neural pathways.

Moreover, the more channels, the higher the likelihood of a positive and more appropriate response to a new, challenging or unexpected situation.

The time has come to become curious once more. Here are some suggestions.

Try viewing the world through beginner’s eyes – be childlike again.

Ask questions and don’t be afraid to appear foolish or unknowing.

Push the boundaries of your comfort zone and be willing to risk.

Expose yourself to different people, places and things.

Become curious about what you believe about yourself.

Travel. Go to a different town, city, province or country.

American poet, painter and playwright, e. e. Cummings perhaps expressed it best when he wrote, “Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.”

Be curious!

Yes, you might “clunk” your head occasionally but don’t worry, you won’t cry for too when you realize the knowledge you gained is worth the short-term pain or discomfort.

Murray Fuhrer is a self-esteem columnist