A while back I did a piece on the faith of a child, today we’ll cover the curiosity of a child.

There is certain point where every kid switches from accepting everything an authority (adult) says to questioning everything. This isn’t yet at the point of what is commonly an outright rebellion, it’s simply a curiosity that demands to know more.

I remember times as a kid when I would ask “why” until the adult I was talking to would just say, “that’s just the way it is.” I would usually keep asking why a few more times, but not getting an answer isn’t satisfying so I’d eventually stop.

This kind of curiosity that wants to know more, is much more worthy of emulation by an adult than blind trust and faith. It allows children to seek to understand the world around us, and it can allow adults to do the same. We would be better employees if we asked (or could ask) our bosses why we have to do something until we understood it. We would be better citizens if we asked the government why they did what they did until we could understand it. Catholics could benefit by asking why birth control is wrong. Evangelicals could benefit by asking why they should deny their gay neighbors equal rights.

Sure, asking why over and over will turn you into a skeptic, it will also likely turn you into an atheist. But shouldn’t we want to understand the world around us? Shouldn’t we want to know why?