Curiosity is one of life’s key guiding principles. It stimulates learning, lends a spark of creativity and intellectual ability that carries through one’s lifetime.  Curiosity is the main stimulant and component of self improvement .

Uncovering exploration: Why?

Curiosity put into action is exploration. Its peak in human history was seen during the age of discovery when explorers from Europe voyaged the world. Exploration is our yearning since birth.  Humans are dynamic creatures and can engage in exploration everywhere and at every situation. It is our constant mode of learning new things, their mode of working and relieving ourselves from boredom as well. Be it our kitchen or the solar system, every space becomes a classroom to learn and explore. When people experience new things they learn about themselves and grow as  productive human beings. Thus one should never stop exploring and always be willing to grab the opportunities presented to us, so as to make the best use of them. Exploration is not always about the positive results gained, instead should  be focused on the process and what one learns from the experience. 

Other reasons for exploring are desire for wealth, pride and fame. They are also reasons for a person to explore. Discovering something new is a great accomplishment and there is a very high chance that the discovery will bring them financial gains too.

 

Inciting to explore

How do we nurture someone’s curiosity and desire to explore? We can start by appreciating the little things a person does. When someone first takes the initiative to learn and do something new, and sees that their efforts are being validated, their desire to explore that topic and learn more about it also comes alive. Thus, encouragement from others plays a very important role in building the creativity and desire to explore in a person.

The exploring mind

How does one proceed to explore? Having identified the end goal, one needs to get out of his comfort zone to set off on the mission, as exploration involves risk taking. One reason why people are afraid to explore is the fear of failure. Even Christopher Columbus did not discover America intentionally. His aim was to find a direct water route west from Europe to Asia, which he never did. It took him months to reach America. They ran out of food and also had to face many hardships, but he did not give up.

Even at present when we are confined in our houses due to the pandemic, we get the unique exploration opportunity, our own selves. It is the best time to indulge in self introspection when we can know ourselves better. Besides, reading books, listening to music, observing the plants and animals, observing people and the nature around us are all ways of exploration.

This phase is also a great time to explore the benefits of human relations, as the values we thus discover will go a long way to make a happy human race. Improved human relations help us manage stress, communicate effectively, work effectively in groups, manage diversity at work, thus empowering us to become better leaders and achieve personal success.

About the authors

The article has been contributed by the following students from Don Bosco Higher Secondary School, Puthuppally: Aska Merin Thomas, Rachel Rony, Reshma Bino Joseph, Silby P Joseph and Surya TS.