Inquisitive & Curious

Are you curious about this distinction?  Or are you inquisitive enough to read it through with anticipation and without stopping (or stopping to ponder new questions)?  Curious is passive and inquisitive is active.  Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

When we’re curious, we often ponder in our thoughts.  We think about possibilities and speculate outcomes.  We become anxious and have a desire to learn more.  Curiosity didn’t kill the cat, it was inquisitiveness.  Children and students are very curious because their minds are open to new ideas and thoughts.  Their day-dreaming is often ignited by a curious thought.

The words inquisitive and inquire are related.  When we’re inquisitive, we inquire.  We ask questions.  We become relentless in finding out the answers.  We try different things to get the answers we seek.  Lawyers by nature are very inquisitive because they need to know as much information as possible to help their clients.  Doctors fall into the same category.

Being curious helps us to think of different possibilities.  We’re open to new suggestions and solutions.  Curiosity is a great element of brainstorming.  Sometimes being curious also helps us to remember old things that we had forgotten.  The disadvantage of curiosity is that it doesn’t necessarily transform itself into action.  For example, we can be curious and suddenly have the telephone ring.  Then, our thoughts and ideas are in the telephone conversation, and the original curiosity is gone and we forgot what it was all about.

Being inquisitive moves us forward because it causes us to seek out resolutions to our once curious thoughts.  It gives us the energy and power.  The disadvantage of being inquisitive is that we may become too fixated on one particular path.  For example, we may become too inquisitive on asking one particular person for all our answers.  We may become annoying to that person and not realize that we may be able to find our answers elsewhere.

Curiosity gives our imagination the freedom it needs to explore new paradigms.  Inquisitiveness gives our will the power to fulfill our need to know.  Do we need a technique to get out of boredom?  Become curious about everything!  Anthony Robbins says, “People tell me ‘life’s so boring, man!’  No, life isn’t boring.  YOU are boring.  The answer to every question you have is out there.”

Of course, we can’t be inquisitive about everything - there just aren’t enough hours in a day.  That’s when we need to prioritize and become inquisitive about areas in our lives where we want to move forward.  Having the curiosity as a foundation first gives us the passion to fulfill the inquisitive mind.  Without the curiosity, being inquisitive is just hard work.

Let's love the world together...

Love,
Danish Ahmed, blind visionary