Intellectual curiosity

intellect |ˈintlˌekt|
noun
the faculty of reasoning and understanding objectively, esp. with regard to abstract or academic matters : he was a man of action rather than of intellect.

curiosity |ˌkyoŏrēˈäsitē|
noun ( pl. -ties)
a strong desire to know or learn something : filled with curiosity, she peered through the window.

Intellectual curiosity
A strong desire to learn more about a person, a thing or a way of life.
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Have you heard this phrase? Intellectual curiosity.

It’s been tossed around a lot in the media lately with regard to a particular presidential candidate.

In fact, after Sunday’s Meet the Press, we can safely say it’s become the ‘gravitas’ of this decidedly crappy campaign season.

I looked it up because I didn’t want to assume I knew what it meant.

And that’s pretty much the definition of intellectual curiosity.
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Remember gravitas?

From Latin for ‘big heavy balls’, gravitas became a veritable media darling after Bush chose Cheney for VP.

My how things have changed.

I wonder if there’s a Latin word for Moose-lovin’ maverick.
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Intellectual curiosity.

It means never assuming you have all the answers. Never assuming that you know everything there is to know about a person, a thing or a way of life.

It means constantly striving to understand our world and why people do the occasionally bat-shit crazy things they do.

It also means seeking out diverse information sources and opinions, rather than relying on the sources that reinforce your view of the world. Taking an objective view of things before drawing conclusions.

I suppose there is a certain comfort in having everything figured out. You can categorize people: good/evil, right/wrong, conservative/liberal, democrat/socialist, greedy/generous.

We're all guilty of it occasionally. Because it simplifies things. Makes it easier to understand this highly complex world of ours.

But the people who have all the answers all the time – the people who have everything and everyone neatly packaged and labeled – scare the living hell out of me.

Because if you have it all figured out, you’ve stopped asking questions. You’ve given up trying to understand people.

And that’s where all the good stuff is.
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I am listening to: I Wish You Love – Rachael Yamagata
I am reading: Leondard Pitts Jr. in The Chicago Tribune
And I am: Quietly curious