essay on curiosity killed the cat

Did Curiosity Really Kill the Cat?

Curiosity is the best remedy for fear..

Posted September 17, 2020 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan

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We are all familiar with the common proverb, “Curiosity killed the cat,” but what was the origin of that proverb, and did it really intend to suppress curiosity?

Interestingly, the original version was “Care killed the cat,” with the word “care” referring to grief or worry. In this form, the proverb first appeared in print at the end of the 16th century, first in a play by playwright Ben Johnson (in 1598), and about a year later in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing . It was still quoted in this form at the end of the 19th century, in Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable . So what happened? How did “care” get replaced by “curiosity?”

As far as I can tell, nobody knows. The first known printed reference to this version was in an Irish newspaper in 1868, and it started appearing more frequently as a proverb in 1873. Be that as it may, there is no question that the cautionary expression was meant to serve as advice suggesting that it is best to mind one’s own business.

This would not have been the first time for curiosity to be discouraged. All civilizations built, at some point, walls around certain types of knowledge. Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden for yielding to their curiosity and eating the forbidden fruit. The book of Ecclesiastes specifically warns that “In much wisdom , there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.” The French abbot St. Bernard Clairvaux even pronounced in the 12th century that curiosity is close to being a deadly sin: “To learn in order to know is scandalous curiosity.”

Galileo Galilei encountered the discouragement of curiosity in his interaction with the Catholic Church. When he tried to convince Pope Urban VIII that the heliocentric model, in which the Earth and all the other planets revolved around the Sun, was a correct representation of reality, the Pope retorted that irrespective of which model of planetary motion scientists were to adopt, “we cannot limit the divine power and wisdom to this way.” In other words, the Pope’s view was that the curiosity that drove Galileo to carry out his scientific research was to no avail since humans would never be able to decipher the cosmos.

Queen Victoria had similar views. In a letter she wrote to her granddaughter Princess Victoria of Hesse, she advised: “I would earnestly warn you against trying to find out the reason for and explanation of everything ... To try and find out the reason for everything is very dangerous and leads to nothing but disappointment and dissatisfaction, unsettling your mind and in the end making you miserable.”

Unfortunately, attempts to suppress curiosity did not end centuries ago.

In 1937, the Nazi regime organized in Munich an exhibition they titled "Degenerate Art," of which the sole aim was to convince the public that modern art was simply a malicious attack by Jewish communists on the German people. The exhibit included works by a few of the greatest artists of the 20th century, but the exhibition catalog described the art as having been produced by “sick brains.” Similarly appalling acts against curiosity have been carried out by the Taliban, culminating with the shooting of Malala Yousafzai in the head because this young activist advocated education for girls.

Numerous incidents of book burning have also occurred throughout history, dating all the way back to the seventh century BCE, but continuing even to 1981, when the Jaffna Public Library of Sri Lanka was burned down by Sinhalese police and government-sponsored paramilitaries.

What is the lesson from all of these stories of oppression, intimidation, and assaults on curiosity? While writing my book WHY? , I coined the phrase: Curiosity is the best remedy for fear . What I mean by that is that often we are afraid of the unknown; of those things we know very little about. Becoming curious about them and making an effort to learn more usually acts to relieve that fear. The ability to be curious about almost anything you like (as long as you follow certain ethical guidelines related to privacy and research involving human subjects) is, after all, a clear manifestation of freedom.

Since curiosity in humans is not only inevitable but is also a principal driver of the desire for the acquisition of knowledge, we should all be happy that the idiom “Curiosity killed the cat” has a positive rejoinder: “But satisfaction brought it back!”

Livio, M. (2017). WHY?: What Makes Us Curious. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Livio, M. (2020). Galileo and the Science Deniers. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Mario Livio, Ph.D. is an astrophysicist, bestselling author of Galileo: And the Science Deniers and a popular speaker who has appeared on The Daily Show , 60 Minutes , and NOVA .

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Curiosity Killed The Cat

Meanings of “curiosity killed the cat”.

The phrase ‘ curiosity killed the cat ’ means curiosity and trying to go to an unknown place can lead to risky, or dangerous situations. In other words, if a person becomes inquisitive about everything, he or she could find themselves caught in unfortunate situations.

Origin of “Curiosity Killed The Cat”

The phrase “curiosity killed the cat” seems to have originated as “care killed the cat” from Every Man in His Humor , a popular play by Ben Jonson, published in 1598. In the play, the phrase goes thus; “Helter skelter, hang sorrow, care’ll kill a Cat, up-tails all, and a Louse for the Hangman.”

However, it is not the standard version used these days. It was later changed to “curiosity killed the cat” by a newspaper, The Galveston Daily News, in its publication of 1898. Since then, the phrase has been used in the same version and almost the same meanings.

Examples in Literature

 Curiosity Killed The Cat Poem by Jon M. Nelson

They say Curiosity killed the cat, Well there is a story behind that. It’s not the reason that you may think, When you hear it, your heart will sink. The cat was lazy and did nothing all day, And it always seemed to be in the way. It would lie in your path and try to trip, And if you didn’t catch yourself you’d slip. It would shed its fur balls everywhere, And the house would be covered in cat hair. It was a friendly cat, don’t get me wrong, So I don’t want to make this story too long. The cat one day was in the neighbor’s yard, And it must have let down its guard. I heard barking and growling from outside, And when I checked, I’d seen my cat had died. My neighbor left his dog off of the leash, He didn’t know the furry it would unleash. It was a tragic end for my cat you see, My neighbor’s dog’s name was Curiosity.

The poem is an allegorical representation of this phrase in the shape of the story of a cat who is very lazy and sluggish. One day the neighbor’s dog kills him. The poet later finds out that the dog’s name is Curiosity. That is why the poem has been titled with this phrase, showing its metaphorical representation.

 Curiosity by Alistair Reid

“may have killed the cat; more likely the cat was just unlucky, or else curious to see what death was like, having no cause to go on licking paws, or fathering litter on litter of kittens, predictably.”

These lines represent the death of a cat to highlight this phrase, saying that it might be the neighbor who killed the cat, or the cat was not so lucky to save himself. It, however, seems there is no cause for the death of the cat. It also seems that there are two plausible versions: one of licking paws and the other of fathering a litter of kittens. Both could be true. The phrase is presented with confusing meanings and good use of ambiguity .

 Curiosity Killed the Cat by Little River Band

Right now , right now You keep this flame I have alight in me And with this cat, it’s curiosity That keeps me hanging on night and day Surprisingly, again I hear you say Guess what, guess what, curiosity killed the cat I’m telling you I know where it’s at Love is everywhere to be found Open your eyes and look around.”

The first stanza talks about the singer’s affirmation that he has the same fire that the cat has. This is the fire of curiosity that keeps him hanging out day and night. However, he also knows that curiosity killed the cat but he is not as curious as to the cat, for he knows that love is omnipresent, and he does not need to be curious. Therefore, it is a direct meaning of the phrase to show that the speaker knows it.

Curiosity Killed the Cat by Sierra Harimann

This novel by Sierra Harimann presents the story of a girl, Hannah, who moves into a new house with her father and other siblings. The house is located near a graveyard where she finds a cat. But, despite her incredulous nature, she finds the cat of her stepsister, Madison, missing, which later bothers her at night. Despite knowing this phrase, Hannah dares not to kill that cat, for, after all, it belongs to her sister. The phrase is used as a metaphor with a direct meaning.

Example in Sentences

Example #1: “Baron was always curious about the on-goings of his neighbor’s life until the neighbor herself came and told her that “curiosity killed the cat.”

Example #2: “With all her inquisitive questions in the class, everyone used to tease Harriet about how curiosity killed the cat.”

Example #3: “Nathan always had his nose in adventures and mysteries . He was always full of doubts and left no stone unturned in unveiling the truth. His mother warned him that curiosity killed the cat.”

Example #4: “Rose learnt it through the hard way that “curiosity killed the cat,” and stopped meddling in other people’s affairs.”

Example #5: “They were two curious siblings and everyone warned them how curiosity killed the cat.”

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Origin and Meaning of the Idiom ‘Curiosity Killed the Cat’

We use the idiom 'curiosity killed the cat' without really knowing its origin or its complete meaning. Penlighten deciphers the story and the meaning behind this popular and commonly used phrase.

We use the idiom ‘curiosity killed the cat’ without really knowing its origin or its complete meaning. Penlighten deciphers the story and the meaning behind this popular and commonly used phrase.

When we were kids, we must have come across old and isolated houses that had no visitors. We all were always eager to know what was inside that old, dingy, and empty house and planned a quiet adventure trip with our friends. The mystery surrounding the house surely made us a teensy bit curious. This might be just one of the instances of curiosity we came across when we were young. However, whenever we embarked on such a journey, it came with a slight warning― ‘curiosity kills the cat.’

Why is it connected to cats, you ask? Well, a cat is said to be a naturally curious animal. It has a liking to investigate things, wander off, and get caught in dangerous situations. Such situations can be fatally dangerous in which the cat might end up losing its life. The idiom alludes to this nature of cats.

Origin of the Idiom ‘Curiosity Killed the Cat’

✦ Though no one can pinpoint the exact date and place where the idiom was conjured up, we can trace the use back in history. However, its first written use is attributed to English poet and playwright Ben Jonson. The phrase was used in his play Every Man in His Humour (1598)― “… Helter skelter, hang sorrow, care will kill a cat, up-tails all, and a pox on the hangman.” In the earlier version of the idiom, the word “care” was used instead of “curiosity,” which was defined as “worry” or “sorrow.”

✦ It was none other than English playwright and poet William Shakespeare who performed in Jonson’s play. He used the similar phrase in his play Much Ado About Nothing (1599), “What, courage man! what though care killed a cat , thou hast mettle enough in thee to kill care.”

✦ In 1898, the phrase came closer to the form that we know of today. Reverend Dr. Ebenezer Cobham Brewer included the phrase in the Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable , Care killed the Cat . It is said that “a cat has nine lives, yet care would wear them all out.”

✦ The variation of the idiom that we use today was first listed as an Irish proverb in James Allan Mair’s collection A handbook of proverbs: English, Scottish, Irish, American, Shakesperean, and scriptural; and family mottoes (1873). It was included in John Hendricks Bechtel’s Proverbs: Maxims and Phrases (1902) under the topic “curiosity.”

✦ In 1909, an American writer, O. Henry referred to the phrase ‘curiosity killed the cat’ in his short story Schools and Schools , “ Curiosity can do more things than kill a cat ; and if emotions, well recognized as feminine, are inimical to feline life, then jealousy would soon leave the whole world catless.”

✦ The phrase appeared as a headline in The Washington Post on March 4, 1916.

✦ In 1920, an American playwright, Eugene O’Neill included the idiom in his play Diff’rent , “BENNY-(with a wink) Curiosity killed a cat ! Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies.”

✦ The longer version of the idiom includes a replay to the original idiom in the later half, “curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.” A variation of the longer phrase was first printed in The Galveston Daily News (August 10, 1905), Curiosity killed a cat; but it came back.” The whole phrase was used in The Titusville Herald (December 23, 1912.) Also, it was recorded in The Jewell Record on May 15, 1924.

✦ An American rock singer and songwriter, Iggy Pop included the phrase in his song “Curiosity” from the album “New Values” (1979), “Curiosity killed the cat But satisfaction brought it back In terms of this cat, as a matter of fact I’ll meet you at the old mouse hole I’ll meet you at the old mouse hole.”

✦ The idiom means that your inquisitiveness can lead you to danger. The phrase serves as a warning to those who act upon their curiosity, which can be harmful for them. To quench their thirst, to find out truth, people jump into situations that can be physically harmful for them. For example, a friend might discourage a person who wants to do a bungee jump using this idiom.

✦ On the other hand, this saying can work as a warning to discourage nosy people or those asking too many questions. In such situations, one may not be killed, but might face discomfort, embarrassment, stress, etc.

✦ The idiom is a part of a longer phrase, which is seldom used. Though curiosity killed the cat has a negative undercurrent, the complete phrase ‘curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back’ might be looked upon as being supportive of one’s curious nature. It means that even though one might get harmed due to their curious nature, the satisfaction of uncovering things is worth the risk.

► Tom’s boss warned him that curiosity killed the cat as he was asking many questions about an employee who got fired last week.

► I wouldn’t go in that room if I were you. Don’t you know that curiosity killed the cat?

► “I want to know what it is like to skydive.” “Don’t do it. Curiosity killed the cat.”

It is always fun finding out how a certain phrase is originated because it makes it easier for us to use it, and same is the case with the idiom that we discussed in this post.

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. » Expansion of Ideas » Curiosity Killed the Cat

Expansion of an Idea – “Curiosity Killed the Cat” for Students / Teachers / Parents

Explore the idea behind the age-old proverb, “Curiosity Killed the Cat.” This saying serves as a reminder to balance our curiosity with caution to avoid unintended consequences.

While curiosity is an essential trait that has led to numerous discoveries and innovations, it can also lead to trouble if not approached with a balanced mindset. The proverb encourages us to think before we act, to pause and assess the potential risks before we leap into the unknown.

By maintaining a balanced approach to curiosity, we can avoid the negative consequences that can come from excessive exploration or recklessness. Instead, we can channel our curiosity in productive ways that benefit ourselves and society as a whole.

Whether you are a lifelong learner, a curious adventurer, or simply looking to improve your decision-making skills, our website is the perfect resource to expand your understanding of the proverb “Curiosity Killed the Cat.” Join us on this journey of discovery and learn to balance your curiosity with caution to achieve greater success and happiness in life.

• Curiosity Killed the Cat

The proverb “Curiosity killed the cat” is a warning about the dangers of being too inquisitive or nosy. The origins of the proverb are unclear, but it has been used for centuries to caution against the perils of excessive curiosity.

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Curiosity Killed the Cat

Curiosity killed the cat "Curiosity killed the cat" is a proverb used to warn of the dangers of unnecessary investigation or experimentation. A less frequently-seen rejoinder to "curiosity killed the cat" is "but, satisfaction brought it back".[1] The original form of the proverb, now little used, was "Care killed the cat ". In this instance, "care" was defined as "worry" or "sorrow." An easier definiton of the phrase curiosity killed the cat would be that being curious can sometimes lead to trouble. |Well everyone knows that cats are very curious creatures and poke their nose everywhere which can cause trouble. | | …show more content…

He was a hearth cat, not a fence cat, and did not dearly love to sing. In other respects he was | | | |normal and hence curious. | | | | | | | |Last Tuesday afternoon when Miss Godfrey was out Blackie skipped into the grate fireplace in a rear room. He had done this many times | | | |before. But he had not climbed up the flue to the chimney. This he did Tuesday. Blackie there remained, perched on the top of the | | | |screen separating the apartment flue from the main chimney, crying for assistance. Miss Godfrey, returning, tried to induce her pet to | | | |come down. If you are experienced in felinity, you know that Blackie didn't come down. | | | | | | | |On Wednesday the cat, curiosity unsatisfied, tried to climb higher—and fell to the first floor. His cries could still be heard by Miss | |

Domesticated Animals In Colonial America

Cats entered the New World on the Mayflower. A new breed called the American Shorthair was created. This tame cat would have been distinguishable from the wild cats by their color patterns, hair length, and size. The tame cat could help hunt for birds and rodents because they are hardy, tough, and athletic. It is also likely that the tame cat bred with the wild cats, so new breeds that had the characteristics of the wild ones entered the domestic stock. Cats were not always liked though. There were many superstitions about cats, which made people afraid of them. The cat became known as an indispensable pet for all the genuine witches. The black cat also became known as one of the symbols of Satan. These superstitions may have started because nightly, silent expeditions of feral cats, or their weird cries and shining eyes in the dark. So, cats have not always been accepted as a domestic pet.

The Last Meow Summary

An animal can be the best thing to happen to a person. As the old saying goes: a dog is a man's’ best friend. People share their homes with their furry friends and gain relationships that are remembered until, perhaps, the rest of their days- just like an old friend. In Bilger’s article, he mentions the relationship between Lady, the sick cat, and her owners, Karen and Shawn Levering, and why the couple was so willing to give up so much for her. “If they were willing to go this far for a cat, it was partly out of a sense of misfortune. But mostly it was a matter of love” (Bilger, part 1, paragraph

Symbolism In Ethan Frome Essays

The cat was trying to get attention by jumping " between them into Zeena's empty chair"(68)." The cat tried to get attention

The Black Cat - Symbolism Essay

Afraid of his master, the cat slightly wounded the narrator on the hand with his teeth. Because of the cats reaction to his picking him up, the narrator pokes out one of the cat’s eye. The eye of the cat which is

Analysis of Curiosity by Alastair Reid Essay

In the first stanza, the author argues that the cat may have died from curiosity, but that it may have been a chosen death. “Or else curious to see what death was like, having no cause to go on licking paws, or fathering litter on litter of kittens, predictably.” (lines, 2-5) Basically, the author is

Effects Of Poe's Single Effect On The Black Cat

The storyteller begins the story by stating from an early age he has had an obsession with animals. Poe states, “This peculiarity of character grew with my growth, and, in my manhood, I derived from it one of my principal sources of pleasure.” (Poe) This statement is evidence of the insanity the narrator experienced at a very young age. He goes on to explain that he and his wife have many domesticated animals, including Pluto, a large beautiful black cat. He describes the mutual fondness between him and the cat. This relationship between him and the cat, is strange. For years they have a growing friendship, until he started drinking alcohol in excess. The narrator goes on to explain how one night after getting completely intoxicated, the cat panicked and bit him. This causes the author to become angry and in a psychotic fit of rage, he takes a knife and cuts out one of the cat’s eyes. After this encounter, the cat fears him, and tries to avoid him at all cost. In the beginning, the storyteller is regretful and feels remorseful for the cruelty. But soon we see the narrator’s insanity expressed when Poe states, “But this feeling soon gave place

Coyote Bait Worksheet

The fate of the cat’s life is still unknown. At this point, the author points out that “[t]he kitchen light came on,

Grandin's Summary: Cats Vs. Non Domesticated Cats

That is the reason that anxiety medication can cause a cat to be less aggressive. The next thing that she explains is that cats aren't dumb. Then she explains that cats are very social animals because cats form a hierarchy with other cats. Temple Grandin then explains that researchers don't know why cats form this hierarchy because they don't fight each other for the “top cat” spot. She also explains that cats are super predators and will attack anything that resembles pray such as windscreen on a microphone. Then she starts to explain that cats will notice every little change such as a lamp moved and she says that cats learn a lot about their environment such as the example where she says that the cats will watch a “cat expert” escape from a box to learn how to do it. That is the reason she says cats can't get down from a tree because they probably learn that from their mothers and are taken away from their mothers before they learn that skill. She further backs this up because she state that only house cats get stuck in a tree not barn

The Glass Castle Analysis

When she was young, and on the road with her family, she had a cat, Quixote, whom she loved. However, when Quixote began to misbehave in the car, her father threw him out the window. The text stated, "Anyone who didn't like to travel wasn't invited on our adventure, Dad said. He stopped the car, grabbed Quixote by the scruff of

9/11: A Fictional Narrative

“Ouch,” Surena jumped. She grabbed a piece of clothing to put over her hand so she could open the door. The door swung open and Surena picked up Belle and ran out the door. There was fire everywhere, she could barely see anything. She heard police cars out side the house with fire trucks. They were spraying the house. Surena felt very dizzy because of the smoke and her dog didn’t look so

Tell Tale Heart vs. the Black Cat Essay

In “The Black Cat,” the man was married to a patient and caring woman. They acquired another cat that, according to the man, looked remarkably like Pluto (709). One day, the cat almost tripped the man while they were walking down a flight of stairs. This “exasperated” the man “to madness” (Poe 709). He lifted an axe and “aimed a blow at the animal,” (Poe 709).

The Narrator's Guiltless Existence in Edgar Allan Poe's Short Story, The Black Cat

In the short story “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe the reader is led onto a journey in which they are told the gruesome actions of a disturbed narrator. This subjective narrators' actions are spurred by a heavy alcohol addiction and deteriorating mental state. The narrator tells the reader of his deeds,which ultimately led to his demise, starting with the killing of Pluto. Pluto was the household cat of the narrator and his wife. He was very much cared and adored for but one night after returning home “much intoxicated” the narrator carved one of the poor beasts eyes after he upset him. After that event a disagreeable mood leeches onto the narrator and he decides to hang the pet using a noose and attaches it onto the limb of a tree . A

A Story Of Annie : A Short Story

A shrill cry echoed in the distance. That was very strange thing to be heard in the quiet apartment Annie lived in.Annie is a very quiet and lonely girl, yet she was also very curious and wanted to help anybody she could. Annie was just getting home from the grocery store. She heard the cry but didn’t think much of it. She got all her groceries up into her apartment and all put away. She decided she would walk down the hall a little and see where the cry came from. She stepped into the hallway and the floorboards creaked under her feet. She pulled the door until it clicked. She started walking down the hallway her footsteps echoing in the quiet hallway. She began quietly whistling to herself while rubbing her fingers up along the wall, making a slight scratching sound. She turned the corner to the 0600 hallway. She continued walking down the hall. She reached room 0684, when she heard the crying louder. She immediately stopped whistling and listened closely to the crying. She slowly and quietly put her ear up against the door. As she leaned closer to the door the floor beneath her creaked real loud and echoed through the hall. The crying had paused for only a second and began again. She grabbed the cold metal handle of the apartment door and turned the handle very slowly. As the door opened it creaked and squeaked throughout the quiet apartment. After Annie got the door completely propped open she noticed the lights glistening on the floor. She walked toward the glistening,

The Black Cat Analysis

In the beginning, the narrator gave a confession in retrospect; he was an honorable man born as a sane, kind, loving. Additionally, he had a great love for animals. He married a girl at a young age. Their house was like a mini zoo; birds, gold fish, a dog, rabbits, a small monkey, and a cat. The man singles out a huge, beautiful all-black cat as his favorite, named Pluto. Because of its unusual intelligence, the wife jokes around that the cat might be a witch in disguise. Over the course of time, the narrator and Pluto created a strong bond between them.

The Cat In The Rain Essay

In the short story the "The Cat in the Rain" by Ernest Hemingway, the cat is a symbol around which the story revolves. As a central symbol, the cat reveals the psychological state and emotional desires of the American wife.

Related Topics

• Edgar Allan Poe
• Short story
• The Black Cat
• The Yellow Wallpaper
• Charlotte Perkins Gilman

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Curiosity Killed the Cat

Curiosity killed the cat. Truly if a greater fallacy were ever spoken, I have yet to hear it. Many things could be responsible for the death of a feline, but certainly a want for understanding is not among them. In fact if it weren’t for curiosity, humans would still be living in cold, dark caves, dragging our knuckles and grunting at one another. Curiosity is the foundation of all learning. Without a desire to comprehend the extent of our existence there would be no point to education and everyone would live in the realm of another common cliché, “ignorance is bliss.” I didn’t always think this way. I used to believe just the opposite; that it was just fine to go along with the intellectual grain and learn exactly what was taught, repeating and reciting it word for word. There were some times in school where I just felt like a human tape recorder taking everything in and only thinking about it come test time. It wasn’t until later in my high school career that I began to fully realize that knowledge is more than remembering what other people say is true, it is discovering the truths that are not yet in a textbook. As Galileo once said, “All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.” My goal is to be the one who fulfills Galileo’s proclamation and discover the truths that are yet to be revealed. The first teacher to every challenge me to look beyond the pages of a book and into its context was my freshman religion teacher, Mr. Dugan. In a class about the bible and the church I simply expected to be pelted with creeds and dogmas with no explanations besides “it’s right because it’s always been right.” To my surprise though the first thing I heard out of his mouth was, “everything they teach here is useless.” I was astounded, stunned, even flabbergasted. How could he make such a rash statement? I raised my hand, being the product of schools rules that I was, and asked him about it. I asked what he meant by that and why he had said it. He coolly responded, “because everything they teach here leaves out the most important thing about life; the if that happens in the middle of it.” My interest piqued and I pressed him harder thinking he had tried to play off his statement with a cliché explanation. Puzzled as to what he meant I said, “but isn’t the job of a school to prepare us for life?” Again his response was quick and profound, “they do, if you’re going to be a scholar who lives his life out in a library, but if you plan on doing something other than that, you’re going to have to start thinking for yourself.” I took his challenge of personal knowledge and never looked back.

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Curiosity Killed the Cat

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Related Topics

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The Importance Of Curiosity Killed The Cat

Show More Curiosity Killed the Cat Think back to the stone age, the era of hunters and gatherers. The early humans who lived in these times didn’t discover the atom, study calculus, or manipulate electricity like we do now. But similar to us, they were curious. When trying previously unknown berries to satisfy their hunger, those who lived then learned of a new source of food, and those who ate the poisonous fruit provided their peers with just as much valuable information. Since the beginning, it has been our human nature to be curious. We have an insatiable thirst for knowledge and a strong sense of beliefs. As a result, our curiosity leads to discoveries, and our unwavering faith gives us drive, which together provides us with the building blocks …show more content… They’d say that because our strong beliefs can lead to the intolerance which inspired the deadly crusades (Cobb 71), or that our curiosity can lead to weapons like Greek fire (Cobb 61) and present day agent orange, humanity is evil. Maybe they’d even pull out Lord of the Flies to prove their point. But our human nature to let curiosity drive our actions isn’t good or evil. It’s essential. Of course, there are villains and saints, but as a whole, the average person is a happy medium. We aren’t good nor evil, just inquisitive souls trying to survive and enjoy our limited time. Our curiosity is how we progress. People might go down in history for their mistakes, but we will still learn from them. Paracelsus treated syphilis, but probably killed some patients to get the treatment right (Cobb 100). Helmont had the wrong idea of cleaning the weapon to heal a wound, but by only cleaning and binding the wound we gain knowledge that we shouldn’t lather wounds in “noxious chemicals and dirty herbal preparations” (Cobb 112). Progress is built on the back of our mistakes, and we wouldn’t make any mistakes without our curiosity to drive us towards discoveries. Success is never easy, but it takes dedication and faith to continue working towards the answer to a question, or a desired result of an experiment. Together, curiosity and conviction help us better understand the world we live in, and the more we

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Guest Essay

José Andrés: Let People Eat

By José Andrés

Mr. Andrés is the founder of World Central Kitchen.

In the worst conditions you can imagine — after hurricanes, earthquakes, bombs and gunfire — the best of humanity shows up. Not once or twice but always.

The seven people killed on a World Central Kitchen mission in Gaza on Monday were the best of humanity. They are not faceless or nameless. They are not generic aid workers or collateral damage in war.

Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, John Chapman, Jacob Flickinger, Zomi Frankcom, James Henderson, James Kirby and Damian Sobol risked everything for the most fundamentally human activity: to share our food with others.

These are people I served alongside in Ukraine, Turkey, Morocco, the Bahamas, Indonesia, Mexico, Gaza and Israel. They were far more than heroes.

Their work was based on the simple belief that food is a universal human right. It is not conditional on being good or bad, rich or poor, left or right. We do not ask what religion you belong to. We just ask how many meals you need.

From Day 1, we have fed Israelis as well as Palestinians. Across Israel, we have served more than 1.75 million hot meals. We have fed families displaced by Hezbollah rockets in the north. We have fed grieving families from the south. We delivered meals to the hospitals where hostages were reunited with their families. We have called consistently, repeatedly and passionately for the release of all the hostages.

All the while, we have communicated extensively with Israeli military and civilian officials. At the same time, we have worked closely with community leaders in Gaza, as well as Arab nations in the region. There is no way to bring a ship full of food to Gaza without doing so.

That’s how we served more than 43 million meals in Gaza, preparing hot food in 68 community kitchens where Palestinians are feeding Palestinians.

We know Israelis. Israelis, in their heart of hearts, know that food is not a weapon of war.

Israel is better than the way this war is being waged. It is better than blocking food and medicine to civilians. It is better than killing aid workers who had coordinated their movements with the Israel Defense Forces.

The Israeli government needs to open more land routes for food and medicine today. It needs to stop killing civilians and aid workers today. It needs to start the long journey to peace today.

In the worst conditions, after the worst terrorist attack in its history, it’s time for the best of Israel to show up. You cannot save the hostages by bombing every building in Gaza. You cannot win this war by starving an entire population.

We welcome the government’s promise of an investigation into how and why members of our World Central Kitchen family were killed. That investigation needs to start at the top, not just the bottom.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said of the Israeli killings of our team, “It happens in war.” It was a direct attack on clearly marked vehicles whose movements were known by the Israel Defense Forces.

It was also the direct result of a policy that squeezed humanitarian aid to desperate levels. Our team was en route from a delivery of almost 400 tons of aid by sea — our second shipment, funded by the United Arab Emirates, supported by Cyprus and with clearance from the Israel Defense Forces.

The team members put their lives at risk precisely because this food aid is so rare and desperately needed. According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification global initiative, half the population of Gaza — 1.1. million people — faces the imminent risk of famine. The team would not have made the journey if there were enough food, traveling by truck across land, to feed the people of Gaza.

The peoples of the Mediterranean and Middle East, regardless of ethnicity and religion, share a culture that values food as a powerful statement of humanity and hospitality — of our shared hope for a better tomorrow.

There’s a reason, at this special time of year, Christians make Easter eggs, Muslims eat an egg at iftar dinners and an egg sits on the Seder plate. This symbol of life and hope reborn in spring extends across religions and cultures.

I have been a stranger at Seder dinners. I have heard the ancient Passover stories about being a stranger in the land of Egypt, the commandment to remember — with a feast before you — that the children of Israel were once slaves.

It is not a sign of weakness to feed strangers; it is a sign of strength. The people of Israel need to remember, at this darkest hour, what strength truly looks like.

José Andrés is a chef and the founder of World Central Kitchen.

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