In one of the previous posts about the blunt side (i.e. good use of curiosity). Now it's time to explore the sharp edge of the sword (the bad use of curiosity) and its impact. This is unfortunately the more common use of curiosity I feel and is also the mainstream notion of curiosity. That is, curiosity is bad and leads to trouble. It absolutely does, especially when used in a non-appropriate manner.
Similar to the way curiosity is a powerful tool to advance and progress in life, it can be an intangible weapon of destruction. How you might ask? Well, curiosity is innate to a certain degree but when you allow this characteristic to control you rather than you being the captain of your ship, it will eat you up and cause a lot of dilemma. For instance, no one likes someone else to get into and stick his nose in his business or trespass his privacy. This is because privacy is very important for us as human beings and naturally we feel like there are things we're meant to keep to ourselves.
You might have some secrets that you only inform your best friend(s) or your parents of and like to keep between the two of you, but there is no doubt that there are other pieces of information you like to keep only to yourself. Therefore, if this privacy factor is invaded the person feels insecure and may not trust others. Thus, it is always important to stay out of others' businesses and just mind your own business unless a friend perhaps asks you for advice or help on a certain issue. A good way to avoid stepping into other people's territories is to remember to treat people the same way you'd like them to treat you. None of us would like or appreciate other people step into our own matters and business without permission.
Invading other's privacy might sound extreme, but even the idea of asking people or forcing them to talk about something is unethical and lacking etiquette. If you notice that a friend is not talking much about a certain topic, is just answering with very simple answers, or trying to avoid the matter altogether, then respect that and don't make him feel compelled to answer or make him feel uncomfortable.
Let me share a personal story with you I've experienced myself mostly with taxi drivers. Before getting a driver's license and all that, just as other people do, I used to take a cab. All I await from the cab driver is to drive me to my destination, safe and sound. However, that doesn't always happen. Many times I've been in a cab on my way to the destination, when the cab driver starts asking personal questions including where my father works, what he works, maybe even how much my university tuition costs. Now some of these drivers ask those questions with an innocent intent, just to have a conversation going and to be friendly. On the other hand, I feel that sometimes, drivers ask these question to possibly evaluate your status, etc. which feels like they've passed red lines and should be stopped at this. The response in such a situation could be to just ignore the questions, confront the driver, or just grab some earphones and plug them in :p
Check out the other side of this matter, "The Blunt Edge of Curiosity" and also the topic in general "Curiosity is a Two-Edged Sword".
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