Committed to curiosity.

My oldest son is almost six years old, and he’s extremely curious. I love that about him.

Curiosity makes him an eager learner, motivated to create and experiment. The world always seems exciting and new. He’s too curious to get bored.

But like most kids, curiosity sometimes manifests as inconveniences. Like when he interrupts conversations with his questions. Or breaking a toy because he used it in an unintended way.

I try to be patient when this happens, because I have a bigger fear. I’m worried that as he grows older he’ll end up at a school that simply rewards following the rules. Or working at a job that compensates the compliant. These are the environments where curiosity tends to die.

I’m not saying rules don’t have their place, but by definition rules are about setting boundaries. Curiosity works in the absence of boundaries.

If our primary focus is rewarding compliance, we’re producing excellent drones. But if all we have are drones, who will imagine the future?

Photo credit: tajai

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