Curiosity Cured the Cat
ENTRY 05
The mind is a muscle. Within the domain of our mind, just like in physical training, you can break it down into smaller components. Some include creativity, reflective thinking, concentration, language, general intelligence, and memory – to name but a few. I would argue one of the most foundational components is curiosity. Curiosity can be seen as one’s capacity and desire to explore the boundaries of the known. To seek out and then expand the frontiers of your current understanding.
Similar with other faculties of the mind, curiosity is not docile or rigid, but fluid and changing. Also, like physical training, the mind can be strengthened through repetition of a cognitive activity (building neural pathways) or weakened from a lack thereof. Perhaps some people have a stronger inclination than others to want to exercise their personal curiosity. Although it is certainly within everyone’s nature to seek out new knowledge to some degree – hence evolving oneself. The alternative is entropy, the breakdown of what is, or stagnancy, the perpetuity of what currently is.
From this we can see that curiosity is an inherent driving force to growth. To grow is to shift from and build upon a present state. To create is to alchemise learned knowledge into service for the future. The object of one’s creation could be an idea, a concept, mindset, innovation, a work of art, a physical object (/structure), another person. An infinite number of manifestations of potential (what could be) into reality (what is). This is an ongoing process that compounds over time, and throughout history. A complex ongoing progression. You could broadly think of civilisation to have a foundation upon a question of curiosity – what could be? How could I improve my subjective existence and (by extension) others around me? What is out there in the abyss of uncertainty?
Many have asked these exact questions, if only intuitively. Fundamentally, we humans grow restless when stagnant. A certain discontentment arises when holding to a status quo. It could be as simple as your physiological reaction when hungry – the body will trigger a survival extinct to move and seek sustenance. Psychoanalysts, such as Freud, have suggested that the underlying libido (sex drive) motivates this desire for change [1]. Expansion into a new state; discomfort inside inactivity. An innate setting to seek out forms of novelty. To do so can be challenging, but ultimately very rewarding. Hormones are released during novel experiences – dopamine, endorphins, oxytocin, and serotonin, which in turn motivates behaviour in the future [2][3].
A primal curiosity for survival would suffice for thousands of years – shelter, food, water, social bonding were the primary functions to facilitate existence (not much has changed...). Questions of efficiency would slowly rise from the wellspring of the human mind. We will never truly know whether it was by way of accidental discovery or intention, but the manipulation of elemental matter (earthen materials, water, fire, etc.) into functional instruments became commonplace. This is what technology was and is to this day. Think of a modest hammer, spear, wooden crockery, all the way to your modern passenger airplane. They are created to solve a problem. Some more directly to survival, others more broadly around pleasure, leisure, and convenience.
Little is known when humans first discovered how to control fire, let alone start one. Nonetheless it can be imagined at some significant point back in history, tribes developed the raw ability to harness the power of fire. This opened abilities such as cooking food, burning waste, providing warmth, illuminating darkness, melting raw metals, sustaining healthy forest growth, and becoming a ritualistic tool. This was monumental to the growth of civilisation. A technological shift as significant as this does not come about often, but when it does ushers in a whole new array of possibilities.
Just as fire revolutionised our interactions with the material world, language transformed the way we interacted with one another. The earliest known signs for the use of written symbols in communication dates to Sumerian Script ~3200 BCE [4]. Ancient cultures interpreted meaning via drawings of ‘things’ (sun, animals, trees etc.) [4]. Before this were vast oral traditions of communication. Fast forward to present, the world has more than 7000~ known written languages [5]. Each with its own idiosyncrasies and nuance. If you needed evidence for the complexity of understanding that’s one grand example.
Isn’t it fascinating that humans are the only known species on Earth to have developed a written language model (from what we can perceive). At least conceivably, animals communicate either verbally or through body language. Perhaps even energetically? The capability of animal telepathy is an intriguing domain of thought [6] – one which we can hope is researched further in future. This is to say nothing on cross species communication, which is entirely unfathomable. Nothing remains outside the boundaries of possibility…
Down the generations, through the centuries, novel curious ideas, movements and inventions sprung into our shared reality. From the development of democratic states in ancient Greece, to imperial Empires in Mesopotamia (Persia, Babylon, Arabia, Ottomans), to the trade of precious goods along the silk road (East to West), to the birth of religious ideations (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism), to the structures built by incredible visionaries of the past. In the vast known record of history, although maybe naïvely, one could say it has rhymed. The bronze age, classical period, dark ages, into the medieval – structurally defined by smaller tribal communities (estates) through to the powerful conquests of Empire.
Then comes the age of discovery. This period can be seen as a collective exploratory movement by Atlantic Europeans into the ‘new world’. The consensus among historians is that this lasted anywhere between the 14th and 18th centuries [7]. This period was marked by world-renowned explorers expanding the boundaries of the known world - Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, James Cook etc [7]. Indigenous people had already established themselves in most if not all these lands; therefore, it might be more appropriate to say the ‘global (Western) empire’ expanded its knowledge to include these places. Unfortunately, as with all Imperial conquests throughout history, native innocent lives were lost in large numbers. We cannot change our past; yet will always have the ability (choice) to learn from history – to curate a better future. Our collective perspective has been broadened beyond explanation. Imagine what our shared reality could become with this abundant diversity.
The industrial age (18th Century to present) is the extreme manifestation of systems processes in the realm of (technological) creation. Mechanisms were made more efficient, and supply chains went global. New groundbreaking innovations have come thick and thin. Some of particular significance include the wheel, the lightbulb, and internal combustion engine [8]. Whether this was in service to power, profits or genuine altruism is up for interpretation. What isundeniable is that ideas have opened doorways into revolutionary visions. Visions have cascaded into unimaginable innovations. A self-fulfilling cycle of intense creativity. The horizon of possibility ever expanding. Exceptionally intelligent figures pushing the boundaries of conceivable frameworks understood by the common man. Genius inspiring genius.
Now – ideas, concepts, knowledge are widespread and easily accessible. So much so that it is impossible to absorb it all in any one of our lifetimes. In the digital age, there is enough information produced and released on the internet in a single day than one would have been exposed to in their entire life. The digital ecosystem facilitated by supercomputers and microchips is perhaps one of mankind’s most profound innovations yet. Like any great tool, modern technology is neutral – neither good nor bad. Ultimately how and why we interact and use these creations is of utmost philosophical importance. The old adage applies profoundly – ‘just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.’ Hence the integrity in having a strong mediated capacity to siphon through and extract (relevant) information in our noisy world. Understand your ‘why’ to apply tools wisely.
A strong mind is a curious mind. Questioning reality accounts for blind spots, knowing blind spots expands our reality.We are where we are due to our exceedingly curious lineage of ancestors. While there is much to be known, there will always be more questions than answers. It’s important to be aware of the difference in what we think we know about recorded history (our present understanding) – idea’s, events, accuracy lost in time – and what is yet to be discovered through our collective curiosity. The depth of knowledge knows no end! You are a unique piece in the ongoing puzzle to help bring conscious understanding to our shared reality. Be a student for life. Never lose that childlike curiosity. Humility will become a great friend on the journey. The unique adventure of your life awaits…
References:
1. Cherry, K. (2022). What is the Libido in Psychology? https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-libido-2795329
2. Raypole, C. (2022). How to Hack your Hormones for a Better Mood. https://www.healthline.com/health/happy-hormone
3. Cooper, B.B. (2013). Why Getting New Things Makes Us Feel So Good: Novelty and the Brain. https://buffer.com/resources/novelty-and-the-brain-how-to-learn-more-and-improve-your-memory/#
4. Olson, D.R. (2024). History of Writing Systems. https://www.britannica.com/topic/writing/Sumerian-writing
5. Dyreby, A.D. (2020). How many languages are in the world today? https://swaplanguage.com/blog/how-many-languages-in-the-world/
6. AnimalTalk. (2024). What is Animal Communication? https://animaltalk.com.au/what-is-animal-communication/
7. Mitchell, J.B. (2024) The Age of Discovery. https://www.britannica.com/topic/European-exploration/The-Age-of-Discovery
8. Duignan, B. (2024). Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution.https://www.britannica.com/list/inventors-and-inventions-of-the-industrial-revolution