When Did We Stop Being Curious?

If you’ve ever been around a kid between the ages of three and eight, you know they have a lot of questions.

Why is the sky blue?

Do dogs have dreams?

How do birds fly?

Where do we go when we die?

Children are endlessly curious.

They don't seem embarrassed by what they don't know. They don't worry about whether their question is obvious or whether someone might think it's stupid. If they want to know something, they ask.

So when did we lose that?

Think about the end of a lecture when the professor asks, “Any questions?”

Silence.

I’ve been in plenty of those rooms. I've sat there with questions in my head and still decided not to raise my hand. And I don't think I'm alone.

Why?

Is it because we have more answers now that we're older? Do we have fewer questions because we've learned more? Certainly not.

I can safely say there is an unbelievable amount that I don't know. Sometimes I have so many questions that I don't even know where to start.

So what changed?

Maybe it's the fear of being wrong. Maybe we're afraid our question will sound obvious. Maybe we're worried about how other people will perceive us. But I don't think that's the whole answer either.

I notice my curiosity comes and goes in waves.

When I'm traveling somewhere new, meeting someone I've never met, learning about a different culture, or doing something completely outside of my routine, my curiosity seems to come naturally. I'm constantly observing. I'm asking questions. I'm noticing things I wouldn't normally notice.

But when I'm comfortable, it seems to quiet down. Maybe that's the answer.

When we're familiar with our surroundings, we don't have to question them. We know how things work. We know where we're going. We know what to expect.

And there's nothing wrong with being comfortable. But maybe comfort makes it easier to stop looking.

I think that's why I like curious people. Curiosity shows that you care.

There's something refreshing about having a conversation with someone who is genuinely interested in what you have to say. Someone who asks a follow-up question because they actually want to know the answer. Someone who listens instead of just waiting for their turn to talk.

I don't particularly like people who act like they know everything. Because no one does.

Being curious means being willing to admit that there is more to learn. It means being vulnerable enough to say, “I don't know. Tell me.”

It shows that you want to learn.

It shows that you want to grow.

It shows that you care.

Those are traits I want to live out in my own life.

I want to continue learning.

I want to continue growing.

I want to continue caring.

And I want to continue asking questions.

Maybe we don't actually lose our curiosity as we get older. Maybe we just get comfortable enough to stop using it.

So I'm trying to bring some of that childhood curiosity back.

To ask the question even if I think I should already know the answer. To talk to the person I don't know. To take the unfamiliar route. To notice the little things. To stay interested in the world around me.

Because there is still so much I don't know.

And honestly, I hope that never changes.