The Dark Side of Curiosity

Curiosity is mostly a good trait that can help us discover, uncover, and acquire valuable knowledge in different aspects of life, and I'm a testament to what curiosity can do; however, when it crosses certain boundaries, it can become the direct opposite of what it's known for, becoming both dangerous and having negative consequences. Growing up, I've delved from one thing to another out of curiosity, and while some yielded positive outcomes, others didn't, and today I'll be sharing some instances of negative effects of harmful curiosity.

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As I was saying, even though curiosity is mostly a good thing, I've seen it play out and lead to negative consequences, such as my ordeal as a child growing up in an environment that's filled with many uncultured individuals with unruly behaviors that aren't appropriate for kids to behold. I remember how almost everybody drank, smoked, and had sex while I was growing up; even my classmates in primary school smoked and drank, and luckily for me, I was raised by parents who wanted me to stand out and not get negatively influenced by our society.

However, things went south one fateful day when, out of curiosity, I tried to experiment with dangerous substances, smoking to be precise. That day my guardians weren't home, and after seeing someone smoke pass by, out of curiosity I felt I should give it a try myself, and since my parents weren't home, I felt that was the best opportunity to delve into this without getting caught. Then came how I'd get a cigarette to fulfill my curiosity; I couldn't get any, so instead I resorted to using something that looks like it, which is a locally made hand-woven raffia mat popular in Nigeria, for me to use in place of cigarettes.

On lighting a fire on one end of the mat I cut out in the size of a cigarette and taking a drag, it literally resulted in me coughing profusely for minutes, probably due to the fact that I must have inhaled harmful things from the fabric the mat was made out of; along the line, while still coughing, I dropped the lighted mat on the floor; by the time I'd noticed, I had actually dropped it on the full bunch of the mat, which was gradually starting a fire, although I managed to quench the fire before it escalated to something big, but the results of the fire were evident on the mat.

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That very act of mine was brooded over by my curiosity and is one that has over time led to addiction for many; even though I didn't get addicted to it and never once tried to smoke after that very day, I can't help but remember that my act that very day took a toll on my health and well-being, especially regarding the cough, as I ended up coughing for weeks with my guardian not knowing the cause because I never opened up, and they kept on treating the cough blindly till it finally cleared.

With that very experience and how it ended, I've come to understand that although curiosity is good and can be really helpful to the point of being called a gift, when such a gift of curiosity isn't handled with wisdom, then it can ultimately lead to becoming a curse and leave a negative impact on the lives of those involved.


All photos are taken and edited on canva.


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Hummmm I am also guilty of this act o. Thank God for my grandmother,she use cane to reset my brain when she finds out

Smile,thank God for her, although I wasn't caught none punished by anyone, but I just knee it wasn't the right thing and stopped thereafter.

In your case - curiosity really killed the cat - luckily no significant harm was done.
I am sure you learnt a good lesson since your health was affected. Did no one ask about the burnt mat?

That's very true, my curiosity made me cross the line, no one trace the mat getting burnt to me because we didn't use it until after days.