TO THE SMALL CATALOGUE OF meaningful three-word human phrases (“I love you,” “let me help,” “take your time,” “hold my beer”) should be added one pertaining to perhaps that oldest of motivations: “Let’s go see!”
Mind you, this drive isn’t limited to spacetime exploration (planets, moons, continents, seas, cells, et al). It can also, with some judiciousness, be applied to the arts: “Let’s go see if we can … write a novel without using the letter ‘e'” “… paint without brushes” “… string together found sounds / texts / images” “… fly.” All of these and more result from a desire and need to experiment, tinker and otherwise satisfy our primate curiosity.
Shall we analyze the phrase in its component parts?
– Let’s: It’s not just one person wanting to satisfy hir inquisitiveness; it’s the whole damn species. (Or a group effort at least. Safety in numbers?)
– Go: Some bestirring motion is involved, either physical or psychic; a movement from (one’s starting place) or to (a desired end).
– See: Perception is a requisite part of this endeavor. So is understanding.
The goal of living should be to expand our horizons, not hide within them. Living without curiosity would be like going to a world-class restaurant and ordering a hamburger. (It may be a great hamburger, but that’s beside the point.) Sure, your attempt at culinary adventure might taste weird or awful — without trying it, though, how would you know? After all, your favorite meals were also once unfamiliar. But why not turn life into one big leap of inquisitive faith?