I think it’s
time that the English language updated or removed a few old, outdated clichés
and metaphors. Curiosity killed the cat is definitely a good example of one.
We live in an enlightened age with information and ideas changing on a daily basis.
It is exactly that, curiosity, which has propelled us into such an amazing time
in human history. If scientists and discoverers weren’t so curious, we would
still be in the dark ages (well it sort of still applies in South Africa with
loadshedding and all). Where would we be if Marie Curie or Thomas Edison or Nikola Tesla weren’t
curious in their fields? Where would we be if a curious amputee didn’t decide
to design some legs for himself and then go one step further (pardon the pun)
and adapt them for climbing a mountain or arms for playing a piano? Where would
we be if some curious people didn’t wonder what’s going on outside our earth
bubble? Unfortunately, not all people share this curious attribute and this
limits their perception and acceptance of new ideas. Moving
forward with a curious attitude is very important to our development as a
species.
Many people
ask us when we “lost” our religion. We didn’t lose it, we left.
Standing
outside religion was at first a scary and unnerving experience. But at the same time, we suddenly realized how limited we were in our thinking about many topics, some
of which were taboo within the parameters of whatever our beliefs were. We suddenly
became more curious than we had ever been before.
We love
watching documentaries about new discoveries and unexplained phenomenon. I like
superhero movies. I like Ironman and Thor (yummy). I like far-fetched alien
movies. I even like the occasional fairy tale. It’s as if you’re escaping
reality for a while and curiously stepping into the unknown.
We read an
intriguing book some time ago by a South African author, Michael Tellinger,
called Slave Species of the Gods. If you can get your hands on it, do
it. Your mind will be blown away. Below is an excerpt from the Introduction of
the book:
This book
will grip you from the Introduction and hold you all the way through to the
end. The research and scientific evidence are incredible. But don’t take my word for it, get the book. Just do it, as Nike says.
In our
journey over the years, we have encountered so many unthinkable and
unfathomable things, but this has only made us more curious to the things we
know so little about.
A couple of
years ago, on the 11th of December, we were returning home after
having dinner at a restaurant to celebrate Danie’s birthday. At that time our
son was still living with us and he was driving us home in his car. Our
daughter and her husband were on their way back to their home on the other side
of town.
As we were
driving, both Danie and I looked out of the car window towards the coast. It
was nearly dark, but the sky was clear and there was no wind. There, hanging
suspended in midair, was a cone-shaped object surrounded by a cloud of mist. A
light shone inside the mist giving the object an ominous look. My son
immediately pulled the car over and we all got out to see this unusual sight.
Before my son could get his cell phone ready for a photo, the object vanished.
It didn’t fly away or slowly disappear; it vanished in a flash. We were
awestruck by what we had seen and immediately phoned our daughter to tell them about
it, but they were shouting back at us: “Did you guys see the object over the
sea?!!” We even phoned a few friends, but nobody we knew had seen it.
When we
finally got home, I jumped onto the internet to see if there were any reported
sightings. I landed on a UFO research website and, according to them, this exact object had
been seen, within minutes of each other, for hundreds of kilometers along the
southern coast of South Africa. They also said that there were no military
operations and that the shape and mannerism of this object was unlike anything
seen over recent years.
Many people
have laughed at us, but I’m sorry to say, if we are the only beings on the only
habitable planet in the whole universe, then it’s a huge waste of space. I
don’t know what’s out there, but I don’t think we’re alone. I'm curious: Who knows what they
look like, or what they want? Little green men with oversized heads and large
eyes; tall, blonde celestial beings; reptilian alien creatures? Maybe they can
shape-shift and they’re already living amongst us. Maybe there’s an alien
family living right next door to you. Hey, who knows?
In all
seriousness, always keep an open, curious mind. Albert Einstein said: “Learn from
yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to
stop questioning.”
There is so
much to explore, so much to experience, so much more to think about, so many
questions to ask, so much to be uncovered.
Stay curious. Don’t allow
yourself to be limited because someone else told you not to read something or
believe something. Keep asking the curious questions. Life is too
short to be limited to old thoughts and beliefs. Life should be an adventure. Now go, discover new ideas.
Think.
Explore. Live.
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