Curiosity killed the cat, apparently. This old proverb has been making us perceive
curiosity negatively because this said cat approached a situation without caution
and lost its life as a result. A more appropriate proverb would be saying that
impulsivity, or lack of caution, actually killed the cat. I believe that curiosity is
powerful and, in fact, central for improving our mental health. Curiosity is a state of
openness and eagerness that can lead us to a variety of possibilities, and
opportunities for growth.
In Zen Buddhism, they speak of “beginner’s mind”. It is a state of mind where we
allow ourselves to experience every moment as being new and fresh. This simple
stance allows us to see the uniqueness of every moment we live by soaking in
everything that is detected through our wonderful senses and letting go of our
preconceived notions.
We often greet new experiences by viewing them through the lenses of our past,
where we hold assumptions, opinions and judgement. This mentality taints the way
we perceive every new moment and make us focus solely on the evidence that
confirms the notions we are holding on to from our past. Don’t get me wrong; this
mentality is necessary because sometimes our assumptions are accurate but not
always. That’s where curiosity comes in.
Imagine approaching every new moment with curiosity by letting go of our
expectations of what this experience will bring and simply living the moment as it is.
This stance leads us to gather all of the information and evidence detected from a
scene. By doing this, we can start noticing every little detail, some of which we may
have missed if we held onto our assumptions. Some of the newly gathered
information that may or may not be be meaningful and relevant to us, or maybe not.
Curiosity allows us to make that decision. Instead of closing ourselves to a
possibility, curiosity lets us observe the option in a neutral way first and once we’ve
opened ourselves to the entire experience then we can decide how we feel or think
about it.
Curiosity means starting to pay attention to details in our surroundings and to say
yes to new experiences. Be eager to notice all the little things you may have ignored,
all the opportunities you may have missed and intentionally seek out the unknown.
Having a narrow mind often contributes to our mental health concerns because we
ignore all of the beauty in our surroundings.
Here, I invite you to let go of what you think you know and open yourself to what you
may not know. Stay curious.
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