Fear or Curiosity?
Mysteries, unknown circumstances, unfamiliar people and unfamiliar surroundings can often make us uncomfortable. Sometimes being mystified or experiencing something new can arouse our curiosity. Curiosity can sometimes motivate us to desire to discover…to learn more about the things before us that we have not seen. Often times however, the unknown and uncertainty can provoke fear. We tend to be afraid of things we don’t understand. Opting for the comfort zone, we usually choose the things and situations we know and are familiar with over what is unfamiliar. While caution is prudent, fear can be irrational. Fear can limit discovery. Discovery of ourselves and the world around us.
For a child, everything is new. Everything is a wonder when you see it for the first time, feel it for the first time and experience it for the first time. That’s why kids ask so many questions. Children have to make the same decisions. Do I turn away from something foreign to me? This makes me uncomfortable…is it good or bad? Encourage their questions. Foster their curiosity. Help them have new experiences and explorations. Most of all help them develop the habit of being guided by their curiosity and need to discover. The alternative is to be guided and controlled by fear. Fear is a habit that can put profound limitations on a person’s life. Fear builds walls around you and holds you captive. No one who is supposed to be free should live in a cell. Especially a child.