Why is curiosity important? The Importance of Developing Curiosity

Why do we ask questions? It is interesting that in order to explain the role of questions, I must use the question - it is similar to the brain trying to grasp the essence of consciousness itself. The question of questions, if you will, is always somewhere in the background of our consciousness, but we do not deal with it much because the curiosity that generates the questions is natural for us like water for a fish.
At the same time, there is great value in putting this instinct on its own test.

The philosopher and teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti used to do classes, some of which were devoted to questions from the audience. He would get a note, open it, read the question - always twice - and answer. In 1981 at the Q & A session in Ojai, California, Krishnamurti was asked what the role of the questions in our lives was.
As usual, not only answered the question directly but raised additional questions derived from it and made the listeners think for themselves before presenting the conclusion.

On the face of it, the answer is obvious - curiosity and curiosity help develop science and technology, solve problems and make our lives easier and happier.
But Krishnamurti went further and asked why we needed all this?
And why did he even ask that question?
First, because there is no evidence of a causal relationship between the development of knowledge and the improvement of a person's condition.
A lot of people with extensive education are left frustrated by the big questions of life.
And secondly, because in his opinion it is not healthy to leave basic assumptions intact without questioning them, no matter how natural they seem to us.
So what is the role of the questions in our lives? It depends on what you ask and when.

Two Types Of Questions

Krishnamurti carefully analyzes the questions he receives and separates them into their basic components in order to give a profound but still understandable answer."Do you ever ask questions thoroughly, or only superficially when there is a problem?"He wonders. That is, do we ask questions only in order to find solutions, or we maintain a skeptical way of life in view of the researchers as a value in and of itself. In other words, the philosopher distinguishes between practical questions from curiosity to curiosity, or, as he calls it, the "asking mind."

Because we are a creature with a developed mind that works not only on the basis of instincts, our brain is programmed to ask questions in a state of distress - how to overcome this obstacle and how to overcome another hurdle. This is the natural and automatic thing for us."Are you exploring your experiences, desires, opinions, assessments, and truths?"Krishnamurti asks, "or do you take them for granted?"

In his opinion, there is a cultural tendency not to put our basic beliefs in doubt, because if you undermine the base, the entire structure loses its stability. "The brain is always looking for a position of security in which it can be protected." He explains that our consciousness in this sense is like a baby looking for the warmth and love of its parents, and they provide it to a point. At the stage of independence, the person seeks to preserve the stability that his parents have given him. And so is the consciousness - it seeks to cling to familiar and known, and in its words: "The brain needs security to function."

A physicist or surgeon, for example, asks questions and continues to accumulate knowledge in their areas of expertise to create a firmer foundation for standing on it. The scientist who has stuck to physical questions can provide solutions to the laws of the universe; The surgeon who goes through the newest techniques can save lives more efficiently; In this context, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson once explained that the desire to learn more about the world is the meaning of life for him. However, in this case, the questions are technical, practical, and aimed at giving the brain protection. "The more you ask in this line (physics or medicine), the more you learn, the more protected the brain becomes." And of course, we can throw away the examples of Krishnamurti on any other field. And while these goals are in themselves superior, the questions that serve them leave us in a fenced field of knowledge.

When Jack (6 years old), asked the popular astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, "What is the meaning of life?" At a conference in Boston, he apparently did not expect to receive a reasoned answer, such that the adults who heard it also had a moment of enlightenment.

6-year-old Young Jack asks Neil deGrasse Tyson, "what's the meaning of life?"





Knowledge, then, is a means of security, and because, "all knowledge is always limited" the security it gives is limited. Knowledge is power, there is no doubt about it. The key to survival is the same practical questions, and Krishnamurti elaborates that with physical security, "the mind also requires psychological security: confidence in relationships, ideas, beliefs, and so on." Hence the tendency not to undermine our basic assumptions. The role of practical questions is important and significant, but there is a limit to the benefit they bring.

To understand the importance of conscious curiosity, Krishnamurti believes that we must examine the role of fundamental questions, the nature of skepticism as a way of life - the "asking mind." In other words, why should we constantly flood the questions that we avoid constantly and continuously? If these questions do not necessarily provide practical knowledge, which allows for better analysis, then why ask them?

Exploration For Its Own Sake Is Under Siege

First, the very fact that they do not necessarily add up to the basic questions removes the fence that blocks the practical questions. The "asking mind" is infinite: each answer can be challenged with renewed vigor. If physicists have investigated and discovered that a mathematical equation explains how a spring works, this equation is final. It can be the basis for further questions, but once it has received a scientific seal it cannot be appealed. Of course, science is based on questioning, but it is not a question of basic assumptions, but rather a technical question. On the other hand, our beliefs and opinions can be cast into the depths of doubt time after time, change, innovate and develop. This gives us the potential for unlimited personal growth.

Krishnamurti explains that "to have a mind that asks and interrogates, without having a limited understanding - there is a great deal of intelligence - and this intelligence is security." The adoption of a habit of doubting and questioning questions about the foundations of our consciousness is what establishes stability. This is a complementary action to the practical questions, which, as noted above, are limited. The power of the "asking mind" rests on two pillars: the habit that gives stability, and the courage to change the foundations. For the first page, even instability provides stability if it is sustained over time. Regarding the second pillar, a conscious decision to challenge everything we believe in is developing mental strength that in itself protects us from the consequences of the doubt.

Ultimately, all questions have an essential purpose in our lives, whether they have a permanent answer or not. Between the lines, Krishnamurti calls on people to ask all the time and to develop critical and skeptical thinking without fearing the psychological consequences. Not to destroy everything we believe in, but rather to develop a freshness of consciousness and to keep ourselves sharp.

Do You Have Any Questions?


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