Obsessive curiosity & uncompromising idealism
Photo by Tim Hetherington
When something interesting floats by in the world, I try to write it down before it evaporates. Usually in my sketchbook or on my hand or the back of a receipt in my purse.
I found some words scribbled in my notebook, captured on different days: “obsessive curiosity” and “uncompromising idealism.”
I still don’t know what prompted me to write them down, but finding those words was like stumbling into someone else’s journal.
Obsessive curiosity is allowing our minds to follow what it finds interesting, without judgement or fear. It requires that we hush the inner critic, the self-editor, the naysayer, and get lost in the maze of our own questions.
Uncompromising idealism is staying grounded amidst extraordinary headwinds and choosing to move forward. Take a step. Then another. It’s remembering that our attitude and outlook are choices we make.
Like many things in the universe, they feel interconnected.
Both require the ability to refuse. To refuse to give up, blend in, or align one’s thinking to the masses.
Both traits help us avoid the trap of living a life defined by others.
Obsessive curiosity and uncompromising idealism fuel the movements, industries and inventions that shape humanity.
Example 1:
A statement by Hebert Boyer from the documentary Something Ventured shows us what an obsessively curious mind can accomplish. Boyer is a scientist and researcher at heart. During his unyielding hunt for answers to his questions, he just so happened to jumpstart the field of genetic engineering and co-found a little company named Genentech.
“It wasn’t my goal to start an industry. My goal was to make sure the science got translated into an endeavor that was useful for people.”
Example 2:
Then there’s Tim Hetherington, an accomplished photojournalist and uncompromising idealist.
Tim devoted his life to bringing forward the humanity of those living among war, civilians and soldiers alike. In the documentary Which Way is The Front Line from Here you can see him running alongside 14 year-old boys toting machine guns and seeking shelter from gunfire during the Liberian civil war. Tim had a sincere fondness for humanity and a passion for helping the world see the people—the human beings—behind the war headlines.
Tim died in 2011 during the Libyan conflict. He left behind an incredible legacy of work and one of the most profound statements I’ve ever heard. One that could only be spoken by an uncompromising idealist.
“Moral outrage is not a useful tool. Building bridges is.”
I’m so fascinated by people who live with obsessive curiosity and uncompromising idealism. They’ve figured out how to live, really live. They don’t accept the status quo or shrug their shoulders at "the way things are." Or wait for permission or validation before doing the damn thing. Whatever it is.
We can join them anytime. It’s not a closed club. We just have to choose. And who we were yesterday doesn’t mean we have to be that same person tomorrow. As Kurt Vonnegut said in Breakfast of Champions:
“History is merely a list of surprises. It can only prepare us to be surprised yet again.”