Some advice: keep the flame of curiosity and wonderment alive

Michio Kaku, the physicist and dreamer of cosmic worlds, speaks with the voice of both scientist and sage when he proclaims: “Some advice: keep the flame of curiosity and wonderment alive, even when studying for boring exams. That is the well from which we scientists draw our nourishment and energy. And also, learn the math. Math is the language of nature, so we have to learn this language.” These words are not mere guidance for students, but a summons to all who seek to understand the mysteries of existence. For without curiosity, knowledge withers; without math, the language of the universe remains locked away.

The meaning of his first counsel is clear: never let the flame of wonderment die. In times of dull routine, when examinations reduce wisdom to memorization, it is easy for the heart to grow weary. Yet the greatest discoveries are born not from rote, but from the burning desire to know, to see, to grasp the hidden order. Curiosity is the well from which the mind draws its living water; without it, all learning becomes dry dust.

History gives us the example of Albert Einstein, who as a student often grew impatient with traditional schooling. The rigid drills and examinations bored him, but he kept alive a restless curiosity. He would ask questions his teachers dismissed: “What would it be like to ride upon a beam of light?” That question, born of wonder, would lead him to the theory of relativity, shaking the world’s understanding of space and time. Here, we see Kaku’s teaching embodied: to endure dullness but keep alive the spark that illuminates beyond it.

Kaku then adds a second command: “learn the math.” For he reminds us that the universe itself speaks not in human tongues but in equations and numbers. The stars trace orbits by laws of geometry, waves sing in harmonics, and the atoms dance to rhythms describable only by mathematics. Those who would understand nature must learn her language, for without it, one is like a traveler in a foreign land, marveling at beauty but unable to read the signs.

Consider the story of Isaac Newton, who once saw an apple fall from a tree. Many had seen the same sight before, but Newton’s mind, armed with mathematics, translated that fall into the laws of gravity. His equations revealed the secret link between the apple and the moon, between earthly motion and the orbits of planets. Without math, the wonder would have remained a passing thought; with math, it became a truth for all mankind.

The lesson for future generations is twofold: preserve curiosity, for it is the torch that lights the path of discovery; and embrace mathematics, for it is the key that unlocks the gates of nature’s temple. Those who neglect curiosity will grow blind to the marvels around them; those who neglect math will gaze at the temple doors but never enter. Together, they make the seeker whole, combining heart and mind, fire and discipline.

Practical action must follow. When studies seem weary, pause and remember the wonder that first drew you: the stars above, the mysteries of life, the unseen forces that shape the world. Let that wonder transform your labor into joy. And do not shrink from mathematics as from a harsh master; instead, see it as the sacred script of the cosmos, patiently awaiting your reading. Approach it with reverence and persistence, for in its lines you may one day glimpse the handwriting of creation itself.

Thus, Michio Kaku’s words resound like an ancient teaching for modern seekers: nurture the flame, drink from the well, and learn the language of the eternal. For in curiosity lies your passion, in mathematics your power, and in their union, the path to wisdom and discovery.