Today, and in the next couple of monthly blogs I’ll be writing about the subject of curiosity. About how curiosity leads to wonder, and how it then often creates happiness and joy in our lives.
The dictionary definition of Curiosity is: a strong desire to know or learn something.
Michael Jamison, writing for Unity.org notes that “Curiosity killed the cat, and then adds…but satisfaction brought it back!!” He then says:
“As this early 20th-century saying implies, an enlivening satisfaction can be had by satisfying curiosity. The abbreviated warning “Curiosity killed the cat” probably never stifled curiosity, because the truth is that curiosity motivated the cat just as curiosity motivates people, What holds some people back from satisfying their curiosity is a fear of the unknown. Yet curiosity has empowered explorers of every kind.”
Spirituality for Dummies tells us that:
“Curiosity is the basis of all true learning, so it makes sense that you need it for mindfulness, for your meditation practice. Einstein was a master of curiosity. He thought curiosity is an essential part of a fulfilling life. Einstein is quoted as saying: ‘The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.’
Through Curiosity, we have the opportunity to discover new things about mundane, everyday experiences that we might normally take for granted.”
James Dillet Freeman, in his book, The Household of Faith writes:
“Charles Fillmore, co-founder of Unity was born with a curious and capable mind that was intended to inquire into Truth and into the nature of many things. His was a mind on fire to know the Truth, and he sought for it everywhere. In many ways he was like a little boy in his excitement, curiosity, and wonderment.”
Now a sense of wonder or wonderment is a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.
Let’s see what Unity’s Daily Word says about wonder.
“Life is a wonder to behold. Matthew, chapter 18 verse 3, tells us we will never enter the kingdom of heaven unless we become like little children, cautioning those who have lost their sense of wonder to embrace it once again. Children see all things through new eyes. Free from pretense, they share their love openly and enthusiastically, innately understanding that the gift of being alive is a miracle to be cherished.
When I choose to see life through that lens, the kingdom of heaven is where I live, and everything changes. My relationships take on new vibrancy. From the smallest grain of sand to the most majestic mountain, the world is made of innumerable miracles. Each day, I take time to see life through the wonder of a child.”
By the way, it’s not only in the Gospel of Matthew that we read that the child is a symbol of eager interest, and great curiosity – characteristics which we all need to emulate in order to experience what has been called “the kingdom”. It’s also what Jesus of Nazareth apparently said according to the Gospels by Luke and Mark as well. “Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall in no wise enter therein”.
Let’s read some more from The Household of Faith:
“In the spring of 1886, Charles Fillmore and his wife Myrtle went to a lecture in Kansas City put on by Doctor E. B. Weeks. It was out of curiosity and need that they went. Doctor Weeks had been sent from Chicago as a representative of the Illinois Metaphysical College to deliver a series of talks on a subject that was then being referred to by such names as “New Thought,” and “Christian or Divine Science,”. Charles came away from that lecture feeling no different than when he had gone in, but the woman who walked out of the hall on his arm was not the same woman who had entered it. A new, a different, a liberating, a transforming conviction was blazing in her heart and mind.”
You see, Myrtle was filled with joy and wonder, and it was the first step in her journey of healing. Thank goodness for curiosity. And the resulting wonder and joy.
Stay tuned for next month’s blog about CURIOSITY.
NAMASTE and SAWUBONA. Keep manifesting only good things 🙂
Tony
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