Did Curiosity really kill the cat?

 

The original saying that came around was ‘Care killed the cat’ which subsequently changed to curiosity. Originally the sentiment was to not worry so much so as to lead oneself to death and why cat, because the cat was symbolic of most indifferent, cautious creatures connected with humans.

We have been using it for ages now as per convenience despite the knowledge that curiosity, intellectual or scientific, once satisfied will help us achieve greater heights. Curiosity is not dangerous per se. However, just like any other emotion, there are enough and more miscreants in the world to misdirect our curiosity

Grapevine in office and gossip in daily life is enough to ruin a person’s life. Curiosity if manifested negatively can make someone’s life living hell. Bullying, trolling, fake news can all be attributed to curiosity. How one may ask?

Wikipedia defines curiosity as an emotion. An emotion if gone unchecked can wreak havoc into people’s mind. My sister, Aparna Dwivedi, who is a veteran journalist, now often talks about new age journalism, journalism which feeds on curiosities of people and social media has made it not just real-time but also highly interactive. People can interact with the news as it happens, and in some ways contribute towards making it. They are no longer just a recipient.  They graduated from citizens to creators of news. That is the power of curiosity.

In a WhatsApp group yesterday, someone asked for a mythological weapon that if in the hand of the right person can manifest its holder as a saviour but in wrong hands can become destructive for the world. That my friend is information and information comes to those who are curious. Thus the intent behind curiosity has for ages been the driving force behind the death of the cat.

The trick behind not letting curiosity get better of us is wisdom. We are all forever curious, however, to keep our curiosity in check we can identify some people who can be our sounding board, can keep us grounded and level headed.

Even when harming a cat is not the intent, one has to ensure that whatever information is sought for is done with wisdom and care.