Curiosity killed the cat…

Albert Einstein said this about curiosity… “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.”

We all know the saying…” Curiosity killed the cat.” Wikipedia describes this saying as a proverb used to warn about the dangers of unnecessary investigation or experimentation.

There’s a Harvard Business Review article from 2014 titled “Curiosity is as Important as Intelligence.” The article describes “CQ as curiosity quotient…having a hungry mind.” The article goes on to say that “People with higher CQ are more inquisitive and open to new experiences. They find novelty exciting and are quickly bored with routine. They tend to generate many original ideas and are counter-conformist.”

So, should curiosity be avoided, or embraced? I lean towards the latter. I think that curiosity, when properly filtered, will get you to new places…adventures…insight.

In 1998, I read the book “Into Thin Air.” You may have read it too. The story details author Jon Krakauer’s experience at Mount Everest during the disastrous 1996 Mount Everest climbing season, when eight climbers were killed and several others were stranded by a “rogue storm”.

I was so intrigued by Into Thin Air, that I added “Climb Mount Everest” to my list of “Wild Ideas.” I learned the “Wild Ideas” concept from one of my heroes, Zig Ziglar. A Wild Idea is a statement about something you might like to have, be or do. A dream…not a goal. A dream must be examined through many filters before it rises to the level of a goal – something worthy to be added to a bucket list.

Climbing Mount Everest didn’t stay on my Wild Ideas list long. I did more reading (filtering). I learned that climbing Mount Everest is expensive…requires substantial experience on less demanding mountains…and, is dangerous — a significant percentage of climbers die in their attempt. My reaction was “Are you crazy. No, I don’t think so.”

         Memorial to Scott Fisher and Others

Climbing Mount Everest came off my list. I replaced it with “Trek in Nepal”, a still daring adventure for me, but one less likely to end in my premature death. And there the idea sat…until…

I was reading a newsletter from the National Speakers Association, in the spring of 1999. The newsletter was only a few pages long. I found a personal post that caught my eye. “If you’re interested in trekking to the Mount Everest Base Camp, this fall, call me.” “That was weird,” I thought. I was curious. I called Dave.”

Dave told me that going to Nepal was a lifelong dream for him. He had researched all the Nepal treks. He thought that the “Everest Base Camp” trek was the best. Further, Dave said that he had researched all the trekking companies and he thought the best was Camp 5 Expeditions . He suggested that if I was interested, I should look up Camp 5 online. I was curious.

I found Camp 5 online, then called. Camp 5 said, “if you’re interested, call our travel agent, Dana. She’ll give you all the information and reserve a spot for you – “No strings attached.” I was curious about what it cost to fly to Nepal. I called Dana.

This went on for quite a while — one curiosity leading to the next – until one afternoon in early November ’99, I found myself standing in the airport at Kathmandu, Nepal. My hands were shaking – my heart was quaking. I pushed open the doors and stumbled into the sights, smells, sounds…the chaos that was…Kathmandu.

Of course, it took more than just curiosity to get me to Nepal. I needed the encouragement of my wife, and others; I needed the guidance, knowledge and experience of the folks at Camp 5; I had to confront many of my personal fears; and, I asked for and received, the prayers and good wishes of my family and friends. Still, before everything else, curiosity was the fuel that got the engine going on my way to a life changing adventure in the mountains of Nepal.

I was in Nepal when I was fifty-one. I’m seventy now. I don’t believe there is an age limit or expiration date on being curious. I still follow the path of things that make me wonder. You and I have a short time here — the world is waiting to meet us. Be brave: seek…explore…follow your heart. Let your curiosity run wild!