Why we should all be Cats.
Why?
When was the last time you questioned something with a “why?”. Criticism and creativity both go hand in hand with curiosity. It lays down the building blocks for every perception a person holds. All perspectives, opinions, arguments, and debates come from questions.
Critics have existed forever, and so have philosophers. All wonder, all question, all seek answers — some from the self, some from the world , some unanswered, some answered with much deliberation. Seeking answers is the nature of a progressing humanity. Curiosity sits alongside all that’s living. It shares the view and forges perception. It teaches us to question, seek answers, and decide how they suit our palate.
“Curiosity killed the cat” is a famous proverb, but in a lesser-known version it’s followed by, “but satisfaction brought it back.” Such optimistic continuations to old proverbs also come from a place of people wondering why things must be a certain way. Wondering why the cat has to die opens another end to the story.
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Questioning is political. When people don’t question, no one answers; when nothing is questioned, no one is accountable. When something is questioned but no one holds the accountability, the seeker becomes the problem. When the “how” is asked but never followed by a “why,” there’s a chance the seeker is still grasping the idea and not yet reasoning. Every belief you hold about yourself, society, success, morality, either came from asking “why?” or from never asking it at all. The difference is awareness. If you don’t question, your ideas aren’t really yours — they’re inherited. A lack of this critical edge in thinking makes people an easier audience to tame, an easier class to teach, and an easier country to govern. A leader devoid of critical thinkers becomes a dictator.
Fluke in stomachs,
bread in bowls,
rather not question yet
and think about the next bread,
the fluke has to eat too.
A person seeking answers is starving,
but not dying of the fluke.
The “fluke” is every question left unasked when survival is deemed more important. Those who still ask are often the “cats.” Questions may come from curiosity, but they must be backed with determination to seek answers. Without determination, every “why” dissolves into that fluke. Curiosity not only questions power, it builds it as well.
Creativity also relies on curiosity. The “what, how, and why” guides us toward solutions and shape how we present them. Creativity is the foundation of every invention and innovation. Advancements in every field begin as mere human curiosity. Every artistic endeavour is either a question or an answer. Works are created to question, critique, answer, and imply — sometimes to all, sometimes to one.
Well-known paintings like The Starry Night can be interpreted in many ways: a curious but “failed” attempt at abstraction, as suggested by Vincent van Gogh, or perhaps an answer he painted but wasn’t willing to fully realize or even a question in itself. Interpretation comes from what is known, and what the mind fills in adds the creative element. To analyze a painting is to question it. Political questioning is often expressed creatively, through paintings that show dissent, songs that express rebellion, and more. We can say creation emerges from deep thought.
Philosophy also seeks answers. It unfolds through deep discussions that are often initiated by questions. It is the practice of thinking deeply about life. Our thoughts are not separate from existence. When one deprives oneself of curiosity and no longer seeks answers, they lose intellectual initiative, though even this state can be examined philosophically. Philosophers are often creatively expressive. All philosophers are curious, even monks practicing asceticism are questioning and examining the self.
To wonder is to know, and to know is to live it. Curiosity seeps into every aspect of our lives. It is evidence of growth and change, as thoughts are shaped through such inquiry. From power and politics to expression and thinking, every aspect of being is linked to the art of critical thought and analysis. To live is to question, and the moment we stop asking why, we stop growing.
