Curiosity Killed the Cat, Satisfaction Brought it Back

It is simply this: do not tire, never lose interest, never grow indifferent—lose your invaluable curiosity and you let yourself die. It's as simple as that.

― Tove Jansson, Fair Play

I have been pondering for years why shrews are shrews and sheep are sheep (sorry if you don’t like my terms, it is just a habit I’ve gotten into I can’t, nor want, to get out of). Thanks to Dr. Mark McDonald of Dissident MD I think I now know the answer: shrews are curious, sheep are not. Of course there are exceptions to this. But as the bell curve would reveal, the exceptions are outliers. Needless to say I have done no formal survey, but of all the shrews I know, I can see a clear spark of curiosity running throughout what I know of their lives. And the sheep? Dullards for the most part—disinterested in most complexities of life, run of the mill, live life as it comes.

Now, in my personal life there are some notable exceptions. I know a few amazing sheep who have very interesting lives. But even with them, there is a general discomfort with change, of new things, and little interest in things that do not have a direct input on their daily life. They also have a real aversion to rocking the boat. If they feel all is fine as it is, why let the truth muck it up?