Looking back, I realize that nurturing curiosity and the instinct

Hear the words of Paul Berg, the Nobel laureate whose life was spent unraveling the mysteries of genes, who declared: “Looking back, I realize that nurturing curiosity and the instinct to seek solutions are perhaps the most important contributions education can make.” These words are not the idle reflection of a man at rest, but the distilled wisdom of one who spent a lifetime searching the hidden truths of life itself. He reminds us that the true purpose of education is not to fill the mind with answers, but to awaken the hunger for questions, to spark the fire of discovery, to give the student not a finished map but the courage to explore the unknown.

The ancients understood this well. Socrates, who never wrote a book, taught not by giving answers but by asking questions. He believed that the deepest form of education was to stir curiosity, to force the mind to wrestle with doubt, to kindle the flame of wonder. In this way, his students learned not only what to think, but how to think, and thus they were prepared to seek solutions for challenges yet unseen. His life and death testify to Berg’s truth: that education’s greatest gift is not knowledge already known, but the unyielding drive to pursue knowledge yet undiscovered.

Consider the story of Thomas Edison, who had little formal schooling. What he possessed in abundance was curiosity. As a boy, he filled his home with experiments, often to the annoyance of his family. Later, his instinct to seek solutions gave the world the phonograph, the electric light, and countless other inventions. His success was not the product of memorized facts, but of a restless mind that refused to stop asking, “How can this be done better?” Edison’s life stands as a monument to Berg’s insight: the true mark of education is the cultivation of curiosity and problem-solving.

Paul Berg himself embodied this principle. In his pioneering work in genetic engineering, he entered a field where there were no textbooks, no clear answers, no path already carved. Only by nurturing his curiosity—his desire to understand the very code of life—and by trusting his instinct to seek solutions, could he make discoveries that changed science and medicine forever. His journey proves that the educated mind is not one that possesses all the answers, but one trained to wrestle with questions boldly and to endure the uncertainty of the unknown.

There is danger, however, when education forgets this higher calling. When schools reduce learning to rote memorization and rigid conformity, they kill the very spark they are meant to ignite. A student may emerge with facts stored like stones in a bag, but without curiosity, those facts lie dormant, heavy but lifeless. Without the instinct to seek solutions, they become trapped, unable to apply what they know to the world’s challenges. In such cases, education has betrayed its sacred purpose, offering shadows instead of light.

The lesson is clear: cultivate curiosity like a garden, and train the soul to seek solutions as the warrior trains for battle. Teachers must awaken wonder in their students, not silence it. Parents must encourage questions, not dismiss them. And students themselves must hold fast to their sense of awe, never trading it for mere comfort or certainty. For it is curiosity that opens new worlds, and the will to seek that conquers them.

Practical action lies before us: read not only to remember, but to wonder. When faced with problems, resist despair and ask, “What can be tried? What can be learned?” Surround yourself with those who challenge your mind, and do not be afraid to fail, for each failure teaches more than mere success. Make your life itself a classroom where curiosity is never extinguished and the instinct to seek solutions is sharpened daily.

So let Paul Berg’s words echo in your heart: the greatest gift of education is not the storing of facts, but the awakening of a restless spirit that forever hungers to know and to create. Take this gift, nurture it, and pass it on, for it is the root of every invention, every discovery, every triumph of the human spirit. Where there is curiosity and the courage to seek solutions, there the future is born.