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How To Not Be Ignorant
Curiosity doesn’t just kill the cat..
Remember the movie Pocahontas? The two most curious characters in the story are John Smith and Pocahontas. The second John touches down on the “New World” he’s off singing songs and climbing mountains. Pocahontas spends her time jumping off waterfalls and singing about what’s “just around the river bend.”
There’s a wonderful shot in the film where Pocahontas comes to a fork in the river. The left side features calm water, and the right side features heavy rapids. Do I really have to tell you which side she chooses?
You can chalk this up to her being an adrenaline junkie, but I’d more-so chalk it up to curiosity.
Contrast Pocahontas and John Smith with everybody else in the movie. The “settlers” have no desire to be curious. They’re here to do a job, find some gold, and get some glory back home. They know the “savages” aren’t to be trusted. They know there’s gold in the New World. Why be curious when you already know?
Same with the Indians. They’re sure that all the settlers are here to bring death and destruction. While they’re right about 99% of the settlers, they’re wrong about John Smith, who has an inquisitive heart.
After exploring the New World with a curious eye, John comes to understand it in ways the rest…
