As a curious child, a child who tended to get into things, a child who questioned why things were the way they were, a child who wondered about people, places, sounds, words, and virtually everything within the sense realm and even the abstract imaginary world, I recall hearing the words from teachers and well-meaning friends, "Be careful, curiosity killed the cat." Ironically, I don't believe those words came from my parents who encouraged independent but respectful character and fostered and gave impetus to a healthy examination of a variety of experiences. The admonition may have come from others whose caution overruled their curiosity.
But it was this curiosity and tendency to go my own way, that shaped me into being a person with a plethora of interests, a child-like eagerness, and a desperate need to know more, a risk-taker, and a preference for the road less-traveled. It makes me both exhilarated and saddened to know that I have never been quite sure what I wanted to be when I grow up. It is a type of Attention Deficit Disorder that luckily manifests itself primarily in the arts, specifically in music, and is seen in eclecticism difficult to describe but certainly fun to embrace.
I remember as a child relishing those strange days when Dad would say "Let's go for a drive" and we would jump in the latest vehicle acquisition, perhaps a station wagon, or a sedan, or a little Volkswagon, and head out to the desert. At first we covered the paved roads seeing the same sights as everyone, but soon he would see a dirt road and his eyes would light up with curiosity, and we would find ourselves bouncing along wondering what we would find. Perhaps a gold mine or a tunnel or a den of rabbits or a secret society or discover the real meaning of life. Unfortunately, we would inevitably get stuck in the dirt and begin the arduous process of digging our way out which in and of itself was an adventure.
Occasionally, we would come across small treasures such as old books or lamps discarded along the sides of the dirt road. If we saw an abandoned building, it was a chance to stop and go look and to create a hypothetical scenario of who had lived there and why they left their humble (usually very humble) abode. More often than not, however, we would venture down the road only to find a dead end or another road that would circle back to our original spot causing us to continue on the quest for another path not yet explored. Our adventure was usually nothing more than a road trip for no purpose and with no result.
Except the result for me was the instilling of curiosity and a quest for what magic, what joy, what adventure might lie ahead. On these outings we often asked unanswerable questions and wondered about things of which there was no definite conclusion. Dad would teach us about the world and press us to ask questions about any subject in our thoughts. We discussed religion, politics, nature, music, books, people, places, smells, sights, and each other. These little trips were not about the trip but rather about growth, learning, seeking, and finding.
Many years later, as I think back I realize several things: yes, no doubt, there is danger in too much risk taking, and certain activities hold little appeal to me such as skydiving or rounding up rattlesnakes; but academically and musically (not that the two are exclusive of each other) my quest for adventure continues at a fast pace. Sometimes the ride is bumpy and sometimes it is a dead-end. Sometimes the treasure I find is minimal and sometimes I get stuck. Usually the adventure returns me to whence I first started and the adventure was not much of adventure. But the constant quest for new knowledge, for new sounds, for rich experiences, for explanations, for enjoyment, for sights not seen, and for views not heard, is all part of the adventure and the result of curiosity.
Tempered with wisdom and common sense, laced with integrity, morality, compassion, and education, curiosity will not kill the cat, but it could get the cat in trouble now and then! What it does give the cat is a broad look at life and an insatiable desire to know more (of course, that is assuming the cat's curiosity is governed by more than his stomach!). Yet, I think I will continue to tread the dirt roads, look at the abandoned buildings, ask the hard questions, and learn more what the world has to offer.
