A fancy way of saying “Mind your own business”, “Curiosity killed the cat” is a suuuuper popular adage. I have certainly used it, and I am sure you have too. However, the question is… Did curiosity really kill the cat?
I am going to ask a few more questions.
If Homo erectus (hehe… erectus :P) aka the early man wasn’t curious about fire, would mankind be where we are today?
If Alice wasn’t curious enough to follow the rabbit, would the “Alice in Wonderland” story exist???
As an Indian (I am assuming I get no international readership here), do you or do you not check your neighbour’s house every time there is a power outage? Did it kill you?? Huh???
I have a lot more, but I think you get the point by now.
I think we confuse “curiosity” and “nosiness” as one and the same. Of course, “nosiness” is not a great thing. I do think a little nosiness can be fun - after all, who doesn’t indulge in a little gossip now and then? But no, we are not going to encourage being nosy here. All my readers are perfectly non-judgemental and nice human beings. Hmph.
“Curiosity” is entirely different. Curiosity is just a quality that makes you inquisitive. It encourages you to learn. It encourages you to grow.
I was a curious child. Now, I am a curious adult. I have this crushing need to know everything and anything. It is mainly this curiosity that drove me to read, read and read. I want to quote a number here, but honestly, I have lost count of the number of books that I have read. Let’s just say it is close to a thousand… and trust me, I am not exaggerating. Reading has helped me live a thousand different lives with a thousand different perspectives. Getting to know people is the same. I ask a million questions and make up a million hypothetical scenarios (it can be annoying for some). Being curious is fun. Being curious makes me think. Being curious makes me feel alive. I would not be the person I am today without that innate curiosity to know more. Now, I am not saying I am a great person or even that I am an okay person. But whatever I am, it is definitely because of curiosity. Curiosity saved this cat for sure.
So, the next time someone tells you “Curiosity killed the cat”, tell them, “Ha, but a cat has nine lives.”
Bye-bye for now, my (hopefully) curious kitties.