curiosity saved the cat.. what?

• first impressions
• pumpkin patches
• learning something the hard way

     As I have grown and matured, I have come to the conclusion that being told a rule and following it, is a LOT harder than breaking the rules and receiving the consequences. Throughout my life I have done my share of stupid things, most people have. Along with the mistakes I have made I can honestly say that I learned more from the things I screwed up, than the lessons my family tried to jam into my mind. As much as I value my brother and sisters knowledge and experiences, nothing is as valuable as personal experience.

     Albert Einstein said, "Learning is experiencing, everything else is just information" suggesting that we need to experience learning by using our own senses and real life experiences. Believe it or not i'm not the only one who thinks that way! There is actual research about the brains connection to experience. "When the brain encodes new concepts through various learning modalities, (1) those concepts are processed and stored in several interconnected neural networks, enhancing the power of a specific memory, (2) the cerebral cortex establishes an abundance of physiological access routes back to that specific concept and other ideas to which it is related." Meaning that we learn, and create STRONG connections with things that happen to us. The memories of those events are then stored in complex networks inside the brain. Then the next time the same situation occurs your brain will pull up the old memory. Giving you insight on past decisions and consequences. 

     For example say your average high schooler goes to their first party. They decide they want to try alcohol for the first time, but they (of course) don't know their limit. Clearly you see where this is going, the kid gets how we say smashed. They pass out on a bathroom floor and wake up to a skull cracking headache in a puddle of their own puke. As they sit their, relishing in the moment, they try to piece together their night. A lot is missing. Thinking.. maybe this is why mom always told me not to? Who cared what mom said, they made their own decision. Mom isn't always going to be their to tell you what's okay and what's not. At some point you have to figure it out for yourself. So say the next weekend, the kids friend offers him a beer, but his mind quickly pulls up the memory of a repulsive smell and a still hazy night, (no matter how many times they asked everyone about it) but this time the kid says "naaah dude i'm cool". Decision making at it's finest, but it would have never happened without the initial experimentation. Trust me when I say, it will happen eventually, everyone gets curious. Just don't be the cat that gets killed by its curiosity.