Set-Up: Author Dorothy Parker once quipped:
The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.
Challenge: React to this quotation.
Think of your life, both in the classroom and in the real world.
- Where do you become profoundly curious?
- Where do you find that you can’t shut your brain ‘off’ when your imagination takes over?
- Is this something that teenagers still do, or is curiosity just child’s play?
Length: 7+ sentences
rabbits and cheshire cats 
Great quote. It’s true, at least for me and everyone I know. Why do you count hats in church if you’re not curious as to how many there are?
I love the quote by Viggo Mortensen: “There’s no excuse to be bored. Sad, yes. Angry, yes. Depressed, yes. Crazy, yes. But there’s no excuse for boredom, ever.”
I think I’m most curious when I’m sitting in front of a computer with a chunk of free time. I start remembering questions I’d previously had, I’ll look up a favorite topic, I’ll see an intriguing link or ad…I could spend hours just nosing around on the Internet. I’m also curious about other people. I wonder about their interests and their beliefs and their quirky little habits and the things they’ve done… Every person is a story, and the older I get the more I want to read each one.
Times when I “can’t shut my imagination off” are usually when I’m brainstorming for things. I get on a roll and think of idea after idea after idea, because it’s only brainstorming and I don’t have to worry about each one being set in stone.
My mom often asks my sister and me if we’re still able to ‘play’ – play with little toy figures and really be in those figures’ world. Mom thinks that this ability is completely lost in most people when they get older. I don’t think so. Abandoned, maybe, but not lost. If someone can truly look past their pride and sense of “I-don’t-have-time-for-this,” then I believe that anyone can still ‘play.’ Everyone can still be curious.
Generally I never become ‘profoundly’ curious except for in AP Euro. When we are discussing something that no has ever heard of, one of my classmates seems to know the answer. I wonder how he knows so much about all of these topics. That is what makes me profoundly curious.
Whenever I am reading a book, I always start strong but 10 pages in my mind starts imagining all of the things I could be doing other than reading. I can never block out those thoughts. So by the time I am done, I can’t remember anything but those first 10 pages.
I never really become curious about anything, its more of something that I am interested in.(unless they mean the same thing) So yes I think curiosity is not even child’s play but something you see in Sandlot type movies.
I become incredibly curious on really deep things such as why are we here here and why am I me.
These things often can keep me interested through a study hall or a long day. I find that its very difficult to get my brain off from spacing out because i get distracted easily. It helps to just sit down and think sometimes. I still believe many teenagers do it. I often think a lot and I see many of my peers doing it too. It’s a good way to relax.
Curiosity is a very curious component of life. It is the thirst for knowledge, but it cannot be traced to one specific time when it starts but it rather emerges as a person matures and evolves. It is the compilation of questions and observations gathered from the outside world. Similar to how the world inspires us, our society instills in us curiosity. Because the world is so complex and intricate, one can never stop learning; therefore, one can never disentangle himself from the web of curiosity.
Dorothy Parker essentially states that curiosity is incurable. It is one of the essential illnesses of man; once a person ‘catches’ curious, they shall never fully recover. The most intelligent and worldly people have become so sophisticated simply because they have an unquenchable thirst of curiosity.
***
Mr. Long: Well, well, well…look at you putting in an oh-so-clever paraphrased quote from Lord of the Flies. Gotta tip my hat to you on that one!
In response to the last question curiosity is definitely not just “child’s play” it is and will be forever present in the lives of young children as well as in the lives of adults and teenagers. Curiosity is inevitable, it is a characteristic of human nature and it can be both wonderful and dangerous at the same time. Though it is always important to analyze and explore all our curiosities this can also lead us astray. Curiosity is always a factor in a teenager’s life especially because teenagers and high schools are known for gossip.
However, my experience with curiosity does not deal with gossip but with backgrounds. I never want to intrude or offend anyone but I am genuinely interested in the lives and backgrounds of my piers and my teachers. I like to talk to people and find out what their home life is like so that I can better relate to and understand that person. This information that I gather never causes me to treat someone differently but just attempt to discover their point of view. This strong curiosity began when I was little because my mom would tell me that I should not judge people on how they act in school because I never know if they have had a bad day or they are not happy at home. I have carried this with me and though sometimes I am far too judgmental I am always thinking about what my piers’ lives are like and how they differ from mine and what I can learn from them. Sometimes the information that I gather helps me make really good friends and even if the person I learn about does not become a great friend I still feel closer to them because I have attempted to relate to them.
Though this curiosity is often a positive thing in my life it has also been negative. It is such a habitual action for me now to talk to someone about their home life that sometimes I am too quick to ask questions. I have to learn to keep my mouth shut when necessary but sometimes, especially when I have a lot of energy, I say something and then realize how nosey and inappropriate the question was. Usually this has been an occurrence with my friends who know me and we just laugh it off but in the real world people won’t do this. High school is a very sheltered environment and this is something that I have just begun to realize. I know that I will still say the wrong thing frequently in the real world because that’s just who I am but this sheltered environment truly cushions recovery from embarrassment or sadness. Once we are on our own without parents and teachers my curiosity will have to be under control. Sometimes my brain just keeps going with thoughts and images and I can’t control it, I never say everything I’m thinking but eventually my mind makes itself heard whether I object or not. It sounds ignorant to say that my mind has a mind of its own but when it comes to curiosity and imagination I feel like this 99% of the time.
However, though my mind and imagination go crazy occasionally I love curiosity and I love always thinking and analyzing things. The lives and view points of those around me is just one of the many subjects which I’m always curious about and willing to explore.
I am going to go along with what Dumbeldore said in the 4th Harry Potter movie, “curiosity is not a sin, but we should practice caution” (He said something similar to this).
Well, humans tend to be curious creatures, right? I mean, if we didn’t have a random urge to figure things out, we wouldn’t have electricity or iPods. Obviously, people only get interested with things that catch their attention or that are new and unheard of.
I don’t believe curiosity is just a child thing. I mean, if we weren’t curious, we wouldn’t find cures or new technological advances. If I weren’t curious, then I would have never found out as much as I do about gowns or other non-school related topics. My mind starts racing when I want to find out, how things work and why people do things, they do. Gossip about people that I know tends to be the most interesting mind turner. You want then to find out if it is true or fiction.
Occasionally, curiosity can be a trap. You could get into trouble, if you poke around places you shouldn’t be in. To answer the big question, no. Curiosity is a human thing. Nothing that is defined by age or personality.
My mind becomes curious at the arrival of music. Music, to me, lets my mind run away from the pressures of every day stress and allows my mind to drift away and to actually think about specific topics and that’s when curiosity sets in.
I generally let my mind almost ‘wonder’ around when I’m in a place of serenity along with privacy. My room is a very serene place that I allow my mind to become curious to the worlds around me. This state of being allows my mind to be drained of the negative and allow it to become almost ‘free’.
Without allowing your mind to become curious, it builds up on stress and pressure. Curiosity is what allows your mind to be released from the everyday boredoms and into the world you never knew.
“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.”
Honestly, I usually feel no boredom because I feel a lot of curiosity. When I talk to my friends, or go through Facebook, a lot of people say they are bored! I feel odd because I don’t understand that.
I don’t know if I am slow or what, but I rarely, if ever, feel bored. If anything, I feel overwhelmed by a lot of things. I sometimes want to be entertained rather than work, but I can’t honestly say anything in my life is boring.
Where do I become profoundly curious?
For now, anywhere I find challenges, which for me are complex most of the time. Whenever there is something that seems too difficult to achieve, I get a feeling that I want to do it. (And there are a lot of things that seems too difficult to achieve for me.) Once I get the bug, I try to figure out how to achieve it. I imagine the success or the failure as a distinct possibility, and I cannot stop thinking about it. Later, perhaps my challenges would be greater and I may achieve more by applying my greater ability to find solutions. But now, the challenges are “how to write better essays,” “how to read/think better,” “how to think/solve problems where there aren’t any answers,” and so on. Sometimes, I lay awake thinking about these things, into the early morning.
I don’t understand those who proclaim boredom, but I think a lot teenagers now are thinking like me also. We are opening our eyes to the world, and seeing many exciting things for the first time. We also learn about problems in the world for the first time, and we realize that soon we have to deal with these challenges as well. We have to learn more and get better to meet these challenges successfully, because the only cure for curiosity is success.
I would have to say that any teen that says curiosity is child’s play is a liar. No matter how old you get, everyone becomes fascinated whenever they see something for the first time.
For me, this curioussness comes from my love of airplanes. To think that something has finally realizes mankind’s dream to fly with the birds can perk anyones imagination. With this new age of technology, imagine all of the things mankind will be able to do in even just fifty years. Be it the first or the latest, all of the great flying machines amaze me. And none of it would have been possible without the human spirit of curiosity.
I become incredibly curious when studying history, when reading, watching a great movie and writing. When I am writing fiction I become really curious. This is kind of peculiar because I am the one creating it. However, I can’t stop thinking about it and I desperately want to know what I will decide happens next. Sometimes its get to the point where I can’t be happy unless I am writing because there is no other way I can stifle my curiosity (which can probably be classified as obsession). I think that everyone becomes curious no matter their age. Curiosity is the yearning for knowledge, no person can know everything and everyone wants to learn something. Because of this it is human nature to be curious. I believe without curiosity there would be no knowledge for no one would want to learn.
Hm where do I become profoundly curious? I like most other people become curious when something new is introduced to me. I’ll want to know more about whatever it is and will sometimes become slightly obsessive. I think I’m most curious when thinking about the reasons behind certain things and peoples actions. I like knowing the story behind someone or something. The reasons behind events and actions intrigue me. Also if you count wanting to know the end of a story as curiosity then that is probably when I am even more curious then about the reason behind it. When I start a good book I will often become obsessed with it and read until I reach the end, usually putting off homework and other important tasks.
I really lose control of my imagination when I am making up my own stories. This probably sounds weird but sometimes I will just sit and let a story work its self out in my mind when I’m bored and write it down if I like it enough.
I absolutely do not think that curiosity has any kind of age limit. Everyone is curious about something no matter how old. Curiosity is the driving force behind many discoveries, inventions, and masterpieces. Therefore I do not think curiosity is child’s play or even ends with teenagers, but extends to the adults of this world as well.
I know just what she’s saying. Just about every young man in the world (at least me anyway) was at some point absurdly curious what was in daddy’s gunsafe. You would give anything to find out what was in there. Your imagination “takes over”. You think about it all the time. Until maybe you figure out the combo? Then that powerful curiousity urges you to take a look. Of course you look. You have too. Then daddy catches you.
And his “cure for curiosity” doesn’t feel that great. That insatiable curiosity gets me in trouble to this day. How thick a tree can a chainsaw cut? How deep will a BB go into you skin? Can you jump across the creek? And my favorite: Can you jump a person on a four-wheeler?
The only cure for curiosity is to try everything. And thats imposssible.
I love the quote! I believe that curiosity is a life long feeling. I think that at age 2 you are curious and when you are 95 you are still curious about some of the same questions.
My biggest curiosity is why is taking a chance in life so difficult even if you know the results could be amazing. In other words when life throws you a difficult situation why is it so hard to understand why is the answer not just in front of me? I think that curiosity is one thing in our life that is so frustrating to try to figure out we sometimes do anything and end up with nothing in return.
I love the last sentence of student 12 it is an amazing line.
This is a very true quote. In essence, anything any of us do can be traced back to our inner curiosity. I’m probably most curious when I’m by myself. Whenever I’m by myself I enter some sort of observation mode, and I just take everything in and start thinking about it; thinking about what means what and just analyzing what I see. I never really shut off my imagination; it’s really just a part of my normal thinking process. Curiosity belongs to everyone, not just children, and not just teenagers. Curiosity is a part of everyone’s life, but I think the reason children are tied so closely to curiosity is because they have more time to explore their curiosity to its fullest. As you get older, you have less and less time to answer every question that comes into your head, but time should always be made to keep the fire alive, so to speak.
I agree with this quote. Sometimes when I think start thinking about something I can’t stop and when I try to I get this nagging feeling on the back of my head. I become curious in the classroom and in life usually when I talk to other people. This can happen anywhere; there really isn’t a specific place where I tend to get curious. When I’m curious I really can’t shut my brain off.
I think that curiousity occurs more often in children that it does in teenagers. That’s what I think because when I was younger I was really curious about many things, but now even though I am still curious I’m more likely to get frustrated with things than before.
The quote definitely makes sense and I agree with it a 100% of the way. I become very curious when I am alone because it is the time when I think about school, activities, my family, sports, and anything else that pops into my head all of a sudden. Curiosity is something that can’t be turned off as you get older and you will always wonder about questions and ideas that you think about on a daily basis. My father always tells me that when he retires he is going to take a course on history because there are so many things he does not know about that he would really enjoy learning. When I am deep in thought on everything lately, my imagination takes over and I constantly think about nothing else. My mind makes solutions for problems and what I could’ve said better at a certain time during the day. Curiosity is always going to be something that you’re always going to have and it is never going to be something that you can throw away.
I profoundly become curious when I am in chemistry class. I just can’t help to wonder how things work, when did happen, or just wanting to know more about something. Once I get started, series and series of questions follow.
I also get curious when thinking about my future. I want to know what job I have, where I will live, and if I will be happy. Then if I come up with an idea I will usually look it up on the internet, and that will lead me to another site.
I believe that anyone of any age becomes curious at some point of there life. I think that when you are interested in something you naturally become curious.
For example, you like laptops, so you get on http://www.apple.com and start surfing on the internet. Therefore the cure for boredom is curiosity.
This quote is very true for me, perhaps it’s true for most people too. Curiosity is something that will always be with us no matter what we do. Why? Well, if we were never curious about anything then we’d never be able to move forward or progress in life. This curiosity isn’t something that’s childish. In fact it’s impossible to say that it’s childish at all because it’s in human nature. Sure we always have our “daily routine” that we each go through each day, or at least most of us do, but we’re eventually going to wonder if there’s anything OUTSIDE of that straight path we’re traveling.
One thing that I always obsess over and that I’m always going to be curious about is what my future is going to be like. Sometimes, whenever I “space out” it’s usually because I’m thinking about things that relate to this. I wonder what I’m going to do when I grow up, although this phrase sounds remotely childish. I wonder what college I’m going to go to. I wonder if I’m going to go to college at all. The possibilities of the outcome of my future life permeates my thoughts almost all the time and I hope that I WILL be able to make something of myself in the future.
The cure for boredom certainly is curiosity; if I’m ever bored all I need to do is wonder about something. I could, and would, if I allowed myself the time spend hours just thinking. I wonder what could have happened, what could happen, and what will happen. All my learning and desire to learn in science, history, technology, psychology, geography, even literature revolves around this curiosity about the course of human event. As I learn more, the more I am curious about. As an imagined event gains detail, it branches off into other mental scenarios. My wonder feeds my curiosity and my curiosity feeds my wonder. Curiosity is the realm of every human; to not be curious is to reject natural human intellectualism. So long as I keep this level of curiosity; I will certainly have no problem with boredom, time management on the other hand…
When I’m just in my room sitting on my bed just thinking I think about so many random things. Everybody in my life, what I am doing with my life, and who do I really care about. Sometimes I think about why I am me like student #3. It is very interesting to literally think about this like hardcore. Being in someone else’s body and looking at yourself wouldn’t that be extremely weird? I think everybody thinks about these things even adults everyonce in a while, like when they have time out of their busy schedules just to have time to themselves and think. If I just sit in my room and not listen to music or text on my phone then I just sit on my bed and think about everything. Time passes by so much quicker then just not thinking about anything in particular, its a great way to occupy yourself if your waiting for a call or waiting to go somewhere. The only way I found out what I want to do with my life when I go to college, is when I sat and thought on my bed I sorted everything out and found out exactly what I wanted. It helped tremendously with the amount of stress I was dealing with about where to go to college and what my major would be.
This quote really got me thinking and curious to all the things around me. I am a person who is always thinking about “what if..”, “if that happened..”, or “why did that person do that.” I dont think little children are the only ones who let their minds run in circles. I truely believe everyone has an imagination and can come up with the wildest things. One of the things people know about me is that I love to “people watch.” Its not because I am bored or just like to look at random people walking down the street I like to wonder where they came from, where they are going, why they wear what or just things like that. Everyone has a little curiosity in them whether it is because they are incredibly bored or they just want their mind to roam.
I find myself profoundly curious when something heartbreaking happens. I can’t help but wonder why it’s happening, what good I’ll see in it later, how I’ll get through it, and when. It seems like a lot of people say that they’re curious when presented with something new. I’d have to agree with that; I can reject new things too sometimes though.
Meeting new people is a little fascinating. If you think about it, you’ve had your entire life with your memories, lessons, experiences, and everything else that makes your life so full(or empty). It’s odd to think that billions of other people have stories like that too, and some of them are even intertwined.
When I feel like I can’t shut my brain off is in the car with my iPod. You’d think that the music would be distracting, but it seems to unfetter my mind. Daydreaming and spacing off is the most vivid and effective in the car. I don’t know why the car window is so helpful, because once again you’d think the moving images would be distracting, but they’re just not.
I disagree about the curiosity being just for children. Simply by wondering what the next day will hold or if a party will be fun is curiosity. Besides, a lot of the time it’s wonderful to just wonder.
I love this because I feel it’s so true. I all too often ask the famous kids’ question, “Why?” I always want to know, why, because I understand everything better when I know the reason. History is just a bunch of facts if we never know the reason behind the acts. (no pun intended) I am most curious when something is just out of my reach of understanding. Like with Lord of the Flies, I understand enough that I am hooked, but my mind is SO curious, and I love to think about the different things that we’ve learned. I start to wonder if any other groups of people that read it wonder about what I do. If they understood the meaning, or if they just read it to pass the test, not thinking about how it applies to them or society.
Another thing that’s got me caught up, mainly about great literary books, is that how are we certain that the message that authors are trying to convey is actually what we are studying. If I write a book, I think would want to be the only one who could teach it. But then I wonder if I really need to do that. If I have written it efficiently, I should not have to sit there and ‘preach.’ The best thing I could probably do for myself would be to release my hold on my works, and simply bring up my topic in my writing, and let the reader decide what to think.
I know, that ‘deep down,’ we all get curious. I think even more so in high school, because we are curious about what our life is going to be like, how will we ever get through high school, or that question, what do people think of me? Not the, ‘are my clothes nice?’ or the ‘is the hair okay?’ I think we all wonder, “what do they think I am made of?” “Do they consider me a friend like I do them?” “Will they be the one friend who actually stays in contact with me when we are 40 and have kids?” I think most of us ‘youngens’ don’t like to confess that we are curious about life and what it holds. Maybe we think that we have to be strong, and maybe we think wondering about the future might make us look like we are weak. I don’t think that curiosity is weakness. I think it is the best quality to have. I think collectively we can be strong and curious to make a better world, because today, not one day, today we have to take the stand and the initiative to represent who we are.
This quote is definitely true because I am never bored unless I am forced to do something that I have no interest in. Even when I am forced to do something I can entertain myself with the smallest thing and seem a bit ‘childish’. Generally I’m most curious when I’m in front of a computer, usually on Facebook or Youtube. The fact that you can virtually fling food at people amuses me, maybe a little too much. I waste the most time on Youtube. Well, it’s not actually a waste of time, I think of it as a cultural experience. Knowing that other people around the world have as much time as much time as I do and spend it making extremely funny videos and putting them on the Internet justifies my addiction to the computer.
However unfortunate this may be, my brain tends to turn ‘off’ while I’m doing homework. This isn’t particularly convenient considering I should be focused while doing homework. I usually start thinking about things that I did earlier that day that seem really stupid while looking back on them. My mind is full of random thoughts so I would probably think about a story I’m reading/writing or why they don’t just give the rabbit the cereal too.
I am still a kid so I can’t really say if curiosity is child’s play or not. If so then adulthood is going to be really tough, unless you can be a kid and an adult. I hope that’s possible. Without daydreaming I don’t know where my inspiration would come from some of my best ideas come to me when I’m daydreaming. Don’t be mistaken, it’s very easy to loose track of time when your mind wanders off so time management is key, but without it what would you do with all of your extra time.
That all too common question,”Why?” comes up with me a lot. If there is a subject that intrigues me I become intensely curious and I pursue it. Just as easily if there is something that doesn’t grab me, I don’t follow up at all most of the time. Responding to the quote, I think boredome can be fixed by finding something that catches your curiosity. And no, I don’t think there is anything to cure curiosity besides knowledge and information.
Just like the quote stated i get most curious when i get bored. This usually encompasses whenever i am in a class that bores me (with the exception of English of course). Or when i am too lazy to find something to do. I can never seem to focus when i am supposed to be thinking on a particular subject. My brain always wants to think about some other irrelevant matter when i try to think. I would like to believe that all teenagers do this but that might just be me trying to cogent myself that i am normal.
I become profoundly curious when I find something that is interesting to me. I can’t shut my brain off when I am really curious about something. For example, if I am reading a book that I like and find the story very interesting, I would make time to read it even though I probably do not actually have the time for it. When I am not reading or working and I have time to relax and think, I would probably think about the book, making guesses of what is going to happen. Even when I am finished reading it, I tend to think about what will happen after the book. Sometimes, if the author decides to write a continuation, I sometimes find one or more of my ideas in the story which I tend to be proud of. After not reading the book for awhile, I tend to think about the book less often. However, whenever I have time to relax, I tend to always think about something that I am curious about if I don’t fall asleep from exhastion first. I am not only curious about lesure books; I am also curious about school work and other things. I definitely still have curiousity today so I definitely think teenagers still have curiousity and is not only for children.
It’s True. I can tell people from experience that curiosity most certainly is the greatest cure for boredom. The one problem however is if you lose that curiosity and you don’t ever get it back. That is probably what you would call “depression” either that or contentment. That would depend on what stage of life you are in. The people who are the most successful are the people who ask the most questions and get the most out of their lives. They are also the most driven to become the best at their particular skill whether it is math or sports.
I seem to find myself intrigued the most when I am outside of school, sitting where my mind can wander. When I let my wander I come up with all sorts of strange quotes that make me think on a multitude of levels from all sorts of different angles. Other times I will see something on T.V. and start thinking on it too much. I will oftentimes find myself having a discussion between my parents and I on whether or not a product on T.V. will work and why or why not. On a few occasions I will see an ad on the computer and tell someone about it and see what they think. Usually I am trying to get a laugh or two out of it because it was some ridiculous statement like this product will make you fly. This is how I react to this quote.