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About Curiosity - Explorer v. Non-Explorer
entry by meganb
8/2/2004 12:45 PM
| This post was inspired by Kazil's post to the "Main" forum about whether or not explorers are more curious. I didn't want to bore anyone unnecessarily, so I will post my thoughts on the topic here...
I recently wrote about this topic for a new website I am working on. It goes like this...
"People pass by things every day. The abandoned farm houses, rusty old steel mills, and bountiful manholes seem all too familiar. All are probable cause for a fleeting curiosity, of a very special moment in our own mundane lives. Child-like inquisitiveness rushes to us momentarily and we find ourselves questioning what lies past the fence, beyond the wall or beneath our feet. Within this special moment is an instant that either makes us "explorers", or which startles us into returning to our lives of seemingly unshakable familiarity."
Most people, no matter how strong their curiosity, choose not to "break the rules" or cross those unnatural, man-made boundaries. I think it's something that is taught since childhood. "Don't touch that!" or "Get back over here!" are all-too-common phrases used by a parent to stifle a child's natural sense of curiosity and exploration. The explorer, on the other hand, drowns out the voices that say, "you shouldn't do that" and proceeds with satisfying that curiosity.
The British mountaineer George Leigh Mallory was once asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest. He replied, "Because it's there", later admitting that there was nothing of great benefit to gain from the expedition. I think that sums up the difference between "explorers" and "non-explorers". I am not sure that explorers are more curious, or just willing to take the risks to satisfy their curiosity.
Most people seem to think we're nuts, but hopefully, the "symptoms" for "explorer" never make it into the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" or we'll all be seeing the inside of those institutions from a different angle!
~Megan
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I beg to differ on the contrary, I agree with every word you say.
A quote that sums up my feelings on that, from a song that sums up me 
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