Curiosity

Throughout my years in high school and college I was unaware of the value held in many literary pieces. At the time these masterful pieces, such as Moby-Dick by Herman Melville and The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, carried little significance. Even the most recent books like The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón did not capture my attention. Only recently have I come to discover the great world of literature. In high school and college, I would not be caught dead reading Robert Frost, now I can say what great works he has written!

A change in attitude has occurred. No longer was I confined by need to read for a grade. The first few months after my formal education I was rejoicing in the fact that I was not obligated to read. Gradually overtime my interest grew. How could such a large industry exists? Why do people seek recognition as a famous writer when the world already has so many of them? The only answer that I can conclude is that literature has lit a fire deep inside the soul. But I hated reading and anything to do with it in school! How someone could even major in the subject was beyond me. So I bought a book, The Shadow of the Wind.

From the first page my mind went to a world that was a part of someone else's imagination! This was not something that I had experienced in school. In school I read to answer questions for a quiz. But this, this was a pleasure to read! The school was not forcing curiosity upon me, I was being curious out of my accord.

Over time my collection of books grew. In the past year alone I have read more books than while in school and with greater interest than ever before. My curiosity has grown from just one book into a daily activity.

This growth did not occur due to a program. When in school the goal of reading was to pass the class! Who cares if you actually read, just pass the class. Pizza Hut used to have a reading program (and still might). What did I want from that program, pizza! What did I want when I picked up The Shadow of the Wind? To understand the book itself, to see why books captivated people.

So many areas exists that have captivate other people but I have left untouched. Recently I have taken dance lessons. Again this is something I would have never done before. The key, I have found is to develop a natural curiosity, similar to that of a kids. A kid does not care about the dangers of an adventure, he goes forth and conquers! Sometimes he looks like a fool, but that doesn't stop him from going on other adventures. Satisfy the natural curiosity by exploring. In my case I recently discovered reading. The adventures don't end there though...