Lucky Pilgrim

A Calling to Young Folx to Stay Curious

“Never lose a holy curiosity” Albert Einstein

You rarely hear curiosity described as holy. In fact, we don’t seem to value it much. We prefer to “Know” stuff, absolutely. It seems to me we hold answers in far more esteem than we do questions. Think about it – we say curiosity killed the cat. There’s the myth of Pandora, who just wanted to see what was inside a mysterious forbidden box, I mean, who wouldn’t, right? But we say she unleashed the evils of the world because she couldn’t mind her own beeswax.  We tell kids not to be too nosy, to quit snooping. We lose patience with toddlers who constantly ask why. I’m guilty of it myself, and I am sorry. Because I want all young folks to wonder, to ponder, to explore even if crabby old Boomers like me get cross with you. At heart, I am with old Albert Einstein on this, curiosity is holy. Curiosity is one of the most powerful forces of humanity and it may be one of the good graces that saves us. And let’s face it, humanity needs all the help it can get if we are going to change the trajectory we’re on. 

Please pursue the questions and interests that capture your attention. The conundrums that send you on peculiar journeys. The questions that call to you on the edges of sleep. The ideas that tickle your fancy and make you lose track of time. All the great, world-changing discoveries came from curious people.

For example, JJ Thompson, a 19th-century physicist, who I’m sure was constantly scolded by parents and teachers to quit farting around, discovered that electrons had a negative charge and that charge can be directed by magnets in a glass vacuum tube. Back then, no one cared about his discovery. In fact, JJ himself was known to propose a toast, “To the electron, may it never be of use to anybody.” Now, of course, we know his work is the foundation for all electronics and has completely altered life on Earth. 

Another holy curious person is a young man by the name of Richard Turere. Richard lives in Kenya and is a member of the Maasai people. They herd cattle on the edge of the Namibian National Wildlife Refuge. So, there are wild animals all around the land where they raise cows and goats. It is the job of the boys between the ages of 9 and 13 to protect the herd from lions and other predators that come seeking an easy meal. A few years ago, when Richard was ten, the lions became very active in his community at night. They were picking off cattle left and right. Richard knew he had a problem to solve. At first, he thought fire would scare them off. So, he set up torches around the cattle yard. However soon he found the light from the fire only helped the lions. Next, he wondered if a scarecrow would work? And it did until the lions figured out it couldn’t move. Then one night as Richard was looking around with his flashlight for anything that might help, he noticed that the lions didn’t come. He wondered, what if the light moves? And because he liked to take apart and tinker with radios and all sorts of other electronics which made his mother furious but would have made JJ Thompson proud, he figured out a way to set up a solar panel, attach it to a battery,  and wire it to several lights around the pen.  He connected this circuit to a signal box that programmed the lights to flash outward at different intervals, in a sense, to move. The lions never came back. Richard rigged similar systems now known as “Lion Lights” for others in his community. He saved the lives not only of countless cows but also the lions because before he found this peaceful and cheap solution the Maasai warriors would hunt and kill the lions who claimed their livestock. Think about it; all of this came from a 5th grader. Someone like you, who questioned, took things apart, experimented and puttered around even though the adults in his life yelled at him about it. 

Now you don’t just have to be curious about how things work or sciency stuff. You can also be curious about people. We need that too! We need humans that wonder about how each of us endures. We need inquisitive minds willing to listen and witness without judgment or advice. We need people who are enthralled by other cultures or how governments and systems work. We need readers and writers to wonder how stories turn out, how our collective story will turn out. We need seekers daring enough to go deep into the interior of their own souls. We need thinkers to ask big questions that they may never be able to answer. We need adventurers with the courage to say, “I don’t know, but I am willing to try.” We need minds and hearts with the passion and commitment to explore new ideas and allow them the time to reveal whatever marvels come next. 

I especially want to encourage all my girls out there to follow the wondering and wanderings of their souls; Like Amelia Earhart or Bessie Coleman, I want you to explore what lies over the next horizon. Or be like Silvia Earle and dive deep into the depths of the Oceans. Follow the footsteps of Jane Goodall into the wild unknown. I want you to ask yourself, like Wankari or Greta, “What can I do to save the planet?” Then, witness whatever answers come to you made manifest. I want you to stand up for your rights as a person no matter the consequences, like Mulala. I want you to look with new eyes and bring those visions to the rest of us like Dorthea Lange or paint your dreams,  like Frida Khalo. I want you to build new worlds out of your own imagination like Octavia Butler or JK Rowling; Share your insight into the human heart and the limits it can endure like Alica Walker, or make meaningful, luminous poetry out of the natural world we have been given like Mary Oliver. 

The poet Alistar Reid said, “Only the curious – if they live – have a tale worth telling all.” I want all young humans of all genders, to have a tale worth telling, full of unanswered questions, mysteries that grab you by the guts and wake you in the night, sneak attacks of wonder and awe, unsolvable riddles and puzzles with missing pieces. I want you to journey to the outlands or outer space. I want you to explore the deep, dark, mystical interiors of the world and yourself. In short, I want your life’s tale to be epic! So please, stay holy curious!