We challenge the status quo and take the initiative to pursue new ideas.
When I was eight, I used to fight with my younger sister. Now, unlike my sister, I could never think fast on my feet with a witty comeback. So whenever I foresaw my losing of an argument, I would say, “Oh I have no friends? Why?”
Dumbstruck, she would respond, “Because no one likes you.”
Again I would ask, “Why?”
She would retort, “Because you are a loser!”
I’d continue, “Why?”
“Because you were born that way!”
I asked why till she had no possible answer and had exhausted all the insults she had picked up from Cheetah Girls the previous night.
My curiosity was used to win a battle with my sister but little did I know that the seeds of curiosity were being engrained in me. Well, sort of.
Looking back, I see that my definition of curiosity and that of ALA’s are somewhat on the same level. EL encourages students to ask questions. Questions about their ideas and the people pioneering them. Why did Myspace fade out while Facebook succeeded? Are the 48 laws of Power the guidelines you want to use to get ahead in life? Can compassion be achieved without empathy? Should you really be curious in the first place? Why does ALA encourage us to be curious? Do you need to be curious to take initiative to create new ideas?
EL encourages us to create new ideas and create need based solutions. When looking for solutions to a problem that we encounter in our society. We must research on everything. Get your facts straight. Have people used the same solution as you before? Did it work? If not, why?
Question everything!
I was eight, but even then, I used curiosity to win arguments with my sister without looking like the loser that I was…then.
