Curiosity

God has given me and insatiable thirst for knowledge; for knowing stuff; for figuring things out. I am blessed to be in a job where I can leak a little of that information I have garnered out in the form of writing, sermons, and studies; but believe me what I share is only a small portion of the stuff that goes through my mind on a weekly basis. But this has also done some harm to me and my own personal spiritual walk.

Up until the Enlightenment, curiosity and thirst for knowledge was considered a vice and not a virtue. Even the phrase “curiosity killed the cat” came from a play in 1598. Then the modern world stepped in and turned curiosity into virtue which built our modern world. 

However the current postmodern world has taken it a step further and turned curiosity into a necessity. You haven’t really lived until you have tried everything, done everything, and believed everything. Curiosity is the mantra and those who would simply love nothing more than to be ignorant (defined as i’gnosis or without knowledge) are ridiculed as back-woodsy and stupid, or at best uninformed and simple.

Pre-modern world was controlled by the church and the loss of innocence to the “Tree of Knowledge” found in Genesis. Knowledge was dangerous and led only to sorry and loss (see Ecclesiastes).

In a good way curiosity exposes the Great and Mighty Oz behind the curtain, pulling the strings.

In a bad way curiosity eliminates mystery and holiness in search of a definition and box in which to put God.

More information does not necessarily mean more happiness, just like more money does not necessarily lead to more happiness. The focus on knowledge and money means you miss some of the better things of life.

I remember a ride to California down I-15 from Las Vegas one of the first times my wife and I drove it. I was focused on the map, distance to the next exit, and the timing of getting where we needed to be. I was worried about the traffic and making sure I was in the right place at the right time to get where I was going at the best possible pace. I was caught up in the stuff of the drive until finally I looked over at Frankie and she was simply focused on the beautiful desert and mountains rolling by. She didn’t care about the miles, distance, or traffic; she was just enjoying the ride.

Sometimes I need to be reminded to get my head out of books and research and just enjoy the ride. What about you?