Remembering Childhood Curiosity

“I think, at a child’s birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift would be curiosity.”

– Eleanor Roosevelt

Do you remember the innocence of youth?  How about your childhood curiosity?  Mine was insatiable and, at times, was worrisome to mom.  I still find myself doing stupid stuff, purely for the sake of discovery, in order to satisfy my adult curiosity.  How many of us, and be honest, still stumble blindly into situations brought on by curiosity?  How many of those situations go south on us, go a little wry at times?  Do you feel a bit sheepish afterward, considering your age?  More importantly, have you learned to laugh at yourself about it?  You are not alone.

I'm now in my sixties and still laugh at myself, constantly, for doing stupid stuff.  Now that I count myself among the senior citizens, I've found many of them don't like it when others know they do stupid things.  They believe it detracts from what people to think of them, especially as they become, what their mothers would say are, "old enough to know better."  For instance, wearing a suit to a wedding and having another guest point out the price tag is still hanging off it.  Forgetting where your reading glasses are, and finding them on your head.  Going into a room to look for something and forgetting why you went there, or touching really hot stuff right out of the oven.  I know people over eighty that really don't find the humor when people see them do these.  Really, at 80, this is what you consider important in your life?  I don't think so.  If you can't laugh at yourself, at 80, what was the point of living?  These are the humorous anecdotes of life which give us stuff to laugh about with friends and family.

But, these are the silly things we do in life unintentionally and, therefore, they're a bit different than the silly things we do for the sake of curiosity.  Now, to be clear, I am not talking about trying a different pizza, or taking up skiing, or wearing a thong, although a thong on an old fat guy might just make the list for some (I just can't imagine myself in a thong...oh, great!  That picture will be in my head for a while).  I'm talking about going into a dark cave, alone, at night, just to see what's in it, or staying in a haunted house and getting the crap scared out of you by some noise on the stairs that you know, deep down, is probably just the house settling, or picking up an octopus just to see how slimy it is, or eating a french-fried scorpion or a toasted grub worm.

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and trying new things, because we are curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

– Walt Disney

Anyway, in the picture, above, there are two children I photographed at the waterfront.  What are they looking at?  A jellyfish?  A crab?  Maybe some rotting dead critter that's washed up?  Which one of the boys is going to dare the other to touch it?  Or, maybe risk a beating by conning younger brother into picking it up and dropping it next to sister, or worse, next to mom?  Most of the time, we paid for this experience with a good scolding.  At one time or another curiosity overtakes all of us.  It is human nature.  Besides, the scolding helped you remember the experience, so you could laugh at it again, you know, as a senior citizen. 

Curiosity doesn't have to mean being stupid, though.  Think in the context of "scratch & sniff."  Most of us can't pass up the opportunity to try a "scratch and sniff."  There are those who of us who tend to lose our sense of curiosity when we lose our sense of wonder.  We fall into the party line that states being an adult has no place for daydreaming, trying new things not normally part of our wheelhouse, or doing something others may view as stupid.  I disagree.  Even doing the stupid is proof of life.  Doing the stupid is proof of a sense of wonder, curiosity, and perhaps a childhood not lost.  Being stupid, on the other hand, can be proof that curiosity taught you nothing.

So, next time you're in the mood for something sweet, try a Jelly Belly.  And go for the gusto, do it with a friend.  Try the "Vomit" flavor.  You probably won't like it, but try laughing at yourself for being dumb enough to try it, or for being able to con your friend into being dumb enough to try it.  Sometimes our friends and family need to be guided back onto the path of curiosity, as well.

“The future belongs to the curious.The ones who are not afraid to try it, explore it, poke at it, question it, and turn it inside out.”

– Anonymous

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 23 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with a world renowned Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, to wage his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center.