Curious: eager to know or learn something, strange or unusual
The first thing people often think of when they hear the word “curious” is the old adage, “Curiosity killed the cat.” I was so curious where that originated from, I had to look it up. And Wikipedia told me, which we all must believe because: 
“The earliest printed reference to the original proverb is attributed to the British playwright Ben Jonson in his 1598 play, Every Man in His Humour, which was performed first by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare used a similar quote in his circa 1599 play, Much Ado About Nothing. The proverb remained the same until at least 1898. Ebenezer Cobham Brewer included this definition in his Dictionary of Phrase and Fable.”
But when I delved a little further, you know… past 1898… it was more about a cat having 9 lives and how it was cared for. The true origin of the “curiosity” part is unknown. So that’s no help to me. That said, I am a very curious individual even though we all know:
I wasn’t the repetitive child who at two years old always asked “Why? Why? But why?”; however, I was the child who ran to the library, my encyclopedias and then eventually the internet… to get my answers.
- This comes out in my thirst-quenching need to research my family tree and subsequent obsession with genealogy.
- Searching for spoilers on all the TV shows I watch to know what happens as soon as possible.
- To looking up the ending of a book while I’m still reading it.
- To researching something until I literally spew data about it all day long and annoy my friends and family.
But it’s also dangerous, as you saw with our lovely fairy tale princess a few spots above in this post. For me, the danger presents itself when I cannot find the answer I’m looking for and I want to explode.
Or I cannot trace something as far back as I’d like to. Or if you love murder mysteries and want to play detective, and you track the criminal to the point where they try to kill you. While I’ve only done this thru books, if I had to pick a career, I’d want to be a snoop.
I am always curious about other people. Why do they make certain decisions? Why did they yell when they could have whispered? Where did they go during that two minutes I couldn’t find them? Why do I care?
Not really sure. I’m thinking it may be that I am fascinated by people’s actions and thoughts, wondering why and how we all think so differently. Or it could be I need to consolidate so much information in order to determine my own thoughts. Now that’s a bit scary…
Being curious has always felt like a good thing to me. Shows you care. You have interest. You want to grow. You want to process information. Hence the 365 Daily Challenge: I’m curious to learn more about myself, and as a result, about others who reply and share thoughts with me.
But some people don’t like it when you’re curious, and you will hear “Mind Your Own Business.” That’s harsh. A nice ol’ slap in the face to someone who just wants to learn.
Not to say privacy isn’t important. Each person decides what (s)he wants to remain private and therefore limits other people’s curiosity. Obviously if I’m revealing so much in this challenge, and I believe I’ve noted it before, I’m not a private person. I like when people ask questions. I think it helps create bonds. Brings out challenging new ideas and a flow of intimacy.
But don’t go out and just start peppering people with detailed and intricate questions. Find your own balance and activate the right level of curiosity.
How about you? Anything you want to know? Or anything you want to share? I do love a little gossip!
Curiosity killed the cat,
But, satisfaction brought him back!
This says it all.