Curiosity

It makes children ask a seemingly endless string of why-questions, motivates scientists to do research and has probably also driven you to click on this article. We are talking about curiosity.

As children, we discover the unknown, huge world anew every day and enthusiastically find out what is out there and how it works. We wonder why the sky is blue, why dogs bark or how airplanes can fly. As we get older, however, many people gradually lose this ability and sink into a grey, monotonous daily grind. But it doesn't have to be like this.

Behind mankind's greatest achievements is often an insatiable urge to ask questions and seek answers. Many of the people we admire owe their outstanding achievements to this very quality: curiosity. According to legend, it was a falling apple that aroused Isaac Newton's curiosity. He asked himself a simple but ground-breaking question: Why does an apple always fall vertically to the ground? The thirst for an answer to this question drove Newton to explore gravity and formulate the laws that revolutionized our understanding of the universe. And without his curiosity, this discovery might have never been made. Every question, no matter how simple, can lead to a significant discovery, because it is curiosity that manifests itself in these, often seemingly simple, questions. It drives us to want to discover the world and has the power to add color to our everyday lives.

This article is an invitation to curiosity. I would like to encourage you to embark on your own journey and discover the world and yourself in the process.

What characterizes curious people?

Curious people are characterized by a special way of looking at the world. They go through life with open eyes, ears and an alert mind. But what exactly characterizes them? These qualities are characteristic of curious people:

1. They listen to others without judgment

In order to understand the nature of the world in all its complexity, it is important to look at it from different perspectives. Curious people listen attentively and avoid making hasty judgments. In this way, they open up new perspectives and broaden their horizons..

2. They ask a lot of questions

Questions are the key to new knowledge. If you don't ask questions, you won't learn anything. Curious people question all sorts of things in order to gain a deeper understanding of the world.

3. They navigate through the world consciously

Mindfulness and attention are essential for gaining new insights. Curious people consciously perceive their surroundings and pay attention to details that others may miss.

4. They are willing to accept being wrong

For them, it's not about always being right or winning discussions. Rather, they are interested in the truth and see mistakes as an opportunity to learn something new.

5. They take their time to explore and discover things

Curiosity means having patience and embracing the unknown. Those who take the time to explore new things are often rewarded with valuable insights.

6. They are not afraid to say that they do not know something

Admitting ignorance is not a sign of weakness, but rather of an open mind. Only those who admit that they don't know something can grow. It is this epistemic modesty that Socrates already recognized and aptly expressed with the famous sentence “I know that I know nothing”.

7. They don't let failures get them down

The path to knowledge is often paved with setbacks. But curious people are not discouraged and see every failure as an opportunity to learn.

Those who remain curious constantly rediscover the world and continue to develop. These qualities not only help to expand knowledge, but also to experience life in all its depth.

But how exactly can you cultivate your curiosity?

Look closely

The world is full of wonders that are just waiting for someone to discover them. However, we take many things so much for granted that we no longer even notice them. We may think that only great discoveries or dramatic events can arouse our curiosity. Yet the wonder often lies in the details: a drop of dew in the morning, the smell of freshly baked bread, the way people smile or an apple falling to the ground - if we look closely, every moment is unique and everything only happens once.

Take a moment and look closely.

After a while, you will realize that the world around you is quite whimsical, strange and puzzling. If we take the time to ask ourselves why things are the way they are, it will never be boring. In this way, the world reveals itself in a whole new way. We begin to see things that were previously invisible, listen to sounds that we had previously ignored and perceive scents that we had previously missed. Newton also took a closer look and questioned something that was the most normal thing in the world for most people.

So allow yourself to slow down occasionally and marvel at the world.

Confronting the unknown

But being curious doesn't just mean looking at the world with open eyes, it also means confronting the unknown.

Humans are creatures of habit. We often only do things because everyone else does them, or because we have always done them that way. But this is how we live a life that we have neither consciously chosen nor really want to live. We lose ourselves in it without knowing who we are or where we actually want to go. Yet, a version of yourself lies dormant within you that can only come out when you face unknown things. By confronting the unknown, you reveal parts of yourself that would otherwise never have emerged. Because in every new situation you gather information on the basis of which you can recreate yourself. In a way, you are just waiting to be discovered by yourself. On the other hand, this also means that you will remain incomplete throughout your whole life if you don't have the curiosity and courage to discover the unknown. And it's not just the world around you that is full of unknowns, but also yourself.

Do you truly know who you are?

Have you ever asked yourself why you do things the way you do them? What do you actually like? Which people in your life are good for you - and which are not? What do you need to motivate you to do things? Do you do things for yourself or for others? Is what you are doing the right thing? Who could you be if you did what you really want to do? And what is stopping you from doing it?

It is the curiosity within you that asks you these questions and it is your actions that answer them. If you don't shape your own life, someone else will do it for you. It is therefore crucial to consciously face the unknown and not see it as a threat, but rather as an opportunity to grow.

If you are curious, you can discover both the world of the unknown and the world of the known.

So why be curious?

Curiosity is one of the greatest gifts we have as human beings. It is the driving force behind many remarkable discoveries and the key to a rich, meaningful life, since it helps us to discover our interests and pursue our dreams.

Curious people are characterized by their radical openness, their eagerness to ask questions and a pronounced interest in the truth. They look at the world with open eyes and consciously take time to explore it. By looking closely and facing the unknown, we are given the opportunity to (re)discover both our environment and ourselves. Those who are curious will not only understand the world around them better, but will also develop themselves further.

It was curiosity that made me write this blog. It represents the manifestation of my curiosity to discover the nature of the world, my self and my future. I want to find out what my life can become when I start pursuing my dreams - and I want to awaken that same curiosity in you.

So what are you waiting for? - Ignite your curiosity.