The Curiosity of Talent…

By Thusharani Rubendra. Thusharani is a student at St. Francis’ College. She lives in Letchworth Garden City, UK. Please read her article and leave your thoughts and comments below.

What is talent? Most people perceive talent to be the innate ability to perform a specific task, while others see talent as simply a well-mastered skill. As for me, I feel that talent is a bit of both; it is a give and take between skills and the desire to succeed at a task. I suppose talent is that ability to capitalise on an acquisition that you excel in.

Now for curiosity – what a curious concept! I suppose one could say that curiosity involves the perpetual desire to learn new pieces of information, or the unceasing dissatisfaction of only knowing as much as you do right now. Curiosity is the burning fire within you, which keeps you learning and mastering skills forever. Without curiosity, we would be doomed by the curse of boredom: we would be stuck in a phase of constant procrastination.

Therefore, one may conclude that curiosity must play an important role in developing a so-called talent. I do agree with this concept. Curiosity often drives you to pick up a skill or a hobby, constantly making you brush up your skills in that particular field, resulting in becoming an ostensible expert; this is inevitably sometimes confused with having an innate gift.

Just because someone can play the ‘Flight of the Bumble-bee’ at lightning speed, does not mean that they are naturally talented; nay, it could mean the exact opposite. Perhaps that pianist finds playing the piano challenging, but has managed to master this piece, purely due to hours, or even years, of practice.

Now this leads us to question: what do we mean by talent? Is it due to innate ability or is talent the result of relentless hard-work and unwavering curiosity?

Albert Einstein, a genius whom we can all look up to, said: ‘I have no special talent. I am only passionately curios’. Now, this is where I can say without a doubt that Albert Einstein, indeed, had one of the greatest minds that has ever thought in our world!

These two short sentences are both a true inspiration and great explanation. Imagine what our world would have looked like if Thomas Edison had given into his teachers and felt talentless. You probably could not, because you are more than likely to be reading this with the aid of a light bulb and without one, you may not have been able to read this statement! Thomas Edison’s name would not necessarily be in our Physics textbooks, had he not possessed the level of curiosity that led to eventually creating the light bulb.

Now, just by using these two great men to prove my point, that curiosity is indeed the root of most forms of talent, I may have rendered my argument to be seemingly inaccessible for the average person, but this is simply not the case.

Take me, your average (perhaps a little short for my age, but nevertheless, average) seventeen-year-old; I strongly believe that whatever people refer to as a talent of mine is simply due to my intense curiosity for the subject. I just choose to cultivate that which intrigues me. Having said that, I am not fully disputing the fact that some people are born with talents that they need not pursue to be perfect: for example, having perfect pitch recognition or possessing the ability to contort his or her fingers into new positions.

I believe that Albert Einstein’s humble, yet inspiring, words have great weight. Most perceive talent to be just a result of pure curiosity, a feat I am sure that we can all accomplish. We are all talented in our own way; I refuse to believe that anyone is untalented; those talents are mainly a product of passion and curiosity.

Some of us are naturally talented, yes, but the vast majority of us are just curious!

So, I challenge you, go out and kindle a fire of curiosity within yourself; you never know… It might be your new talent!

107 comments on “The Curiosity of Talent…

  1. Anne Solomon on

    It’s an interesting piece of writing. You have an excellent way of thinking and expresssing things . You have showed your talent in this master piece Well done!

    Reply
  2. Vicky Bryan on

    This is an excellent piece of writing; I love how the writer transcribes talent into the trait of curiosity and develops her ideas. Fantastic!

    Reply
    • Rushaanth Arunan on

      Very nice writing! Your piece of writing is very interesting and nice. Well done! This is the beautiful piece of writing that I ever seen. Congratulations!!

      Reply
  3. Mathi Vettivelu on

    Very interesting readings, good to have the opportunity and to express one-self. What ever quality(talent), irrespectively of rich, poor or ethnicity. Good stuff!!!👍😉

    Reply
  4. Thusharani on

    Thank you so much everybody! It means a lot to me that all of you have taken out the time to read my blog and have left a comment! Thank you!

    Reply
  5. Ananda Visvanathan on

    An extraordinary, intelligent and informative essay. this shows that talent has nothing to do with age. It is not too long and not too short. I enjoyed reading.
    Hoping to receive more from your products.

    Reply
  6. Angela Nirmalini Paul on

    You have researched a topic that is talked about widely nowadays. My children’s school introduced the book “ Talent Code” by Daniel Cole who have done extensive research in this topic for several years all over the world & followed athletes such as as the Russian tennis players who started training ferociously after the iron curtains were down & winning world titles which they couldn’t do during the communist time. I have attached the summary of the book for you to read but i’d advice you to read the whole book. Good luck.
    https://fourminutebooks.com/the-talent-code-summary/

    Reply
    • Thusharani on

      Thank you! I will definitely look into the link that you have shared with us- it sounds really interesting! I’m so happy to see that my blog entry is sparking conversations and interest! Thank you!

      Reply
    • Tara on

      Brilliant read Thusharani, thank you for posting!

      I completely agree with your opening statement, in that one can only nurture a skill to the refined level of it being considered a ‘talent’, if they possess the desire to explore their curiosities and discover their own potential.

      This is very a insightful and well presented argument and your examples illustrate your point perfectly. I love the fact that you have developed your ideas in a way which ironically provokes the reader’s own curiosity about the way in which they perceive talent!

      I am inspired by your writing, and I really look forward to your future posts!

      All the best,

      Tara

      Reply
  7. Geethanjali Selvaretnam on

    Thank you for providing this inspirational food for thought! When I moved to Scotland, I took up Scottish country dancing and persisted with it out of curiosity. Although I wouldn’t call myself an expert yet, I would say this is one of my talents. I am glad you have provided me with a new way of thinking about talent. Well done! I

    Reply
  8. Sandra Blaser on

    Bravo Thusharani well written and clearly understandable. I fully agree passion and curiosity are a must, however sometimes a person has this little « I don’t know what » which makes things easy without too much work. Such as you with your reflexion, I would say… bravo again for your talent…. and of course curiosity and passion! Great work !!!

    Reply
  9. Surekha Meedin on

    Very well articulated and well versed. In my humble opinion, You have displayed your inner strength to reach out to many others by expressing your talent. All the best in your future endeavors.

    Reply
  10. Gina on

    This post is very captivating and inspiring. It is extremely well written and provides a unique insight into the broad term that is ‘talent’

    Reply
  11. Anita Bishop on

    This article has made me curious about where my talents have come from. A very evocative piece of writing. It has made me feel that I can achieve more by just following what intrigues me. A great lesson that I will pass on to my daughter. Thank you for inspiring me with your talent for writing.

    Reply
  12. Paul Bishop on

    An insightful piece of writing that encourages everyone to develop their potential talents. Well done for raising an interesting concept.

    Reply
  13. Jon Grant on

    Very interesting ideas that you’ve combined here Thusharani. What are your thoughts about forcing people who have a natural gift to use it? Is it wasted if someone chooses not to use it or is not curious enough to explore it?

    Reply
    • Thusharani on

      These are two very difficult questions! I feel that while asking a talented musician to perform at every gathering that he/she attends may seem like a flattering gesture, on a larger and , dare I say it, a more cynical level forcing someone to do something against their own will is a form of exploitation; if someone choses not to explore their talent it is their decision.It may seem like a “waste of talent” and “such a shame” but ultimately it’s their own decision. Having said this, however, I believe that when talent dances to the tune of curiosity potential is unlocked. I feel that it is important to capitalise on a ‘natural gift’; but once someone is forced to do something that they would rather not, it becomes redundant – curiosity and talent are both lost…

      Reply
    • Rienzie Balthazaar on

      A very thoughtful and well- written article. Great work. Congratulations. Hope to see more of your insightful writings in the future.
      Best wishes.

      Reply
  14. Dr.Olivet on

    Very interesting essay. You have given some good examples. I really enjoyed reading it. Expecting more from you in the future. Good luck.

    Reply
  15. Rosy Palmer on

    I like the way the ideas are teased out and draw the reader into the concept. I particularly like the use of quotes to make a point. Well done!

    Reply
  16. Becca J on

    An interesting question well addressed. You write beautifully and I enjoyed the way your natural humour came through in your writing.

    Reply
  17. Judy on

    I like the way you have put forward a strong and thought provoking argument with simple, easy to understand examples that your readers are able to relate to . I strongly agree that human minds should be encouraged to be curious. When this curiosity is invested in the right and appropriate ways, then dividends may be transformed into talents . I would encourage you to continue to be curious so you may develop various talents that can be utilised to towards the amelioration of your self, friends and fellow human beings .

    Reply
  18. Mrs.Parames Solomon on

    I’m very impressed by your writing. Well done! You have beautifully explained that talent comes from curiosity and hard work. I totally agree with you as I gained all my talent from curiosity. I really enjoyed reading your amazing piece of writing. Expecting more writings from you. You will be a great writer in the future. Keep it up. Wish you all the very best for your future.

    Reply
  19. Thusharani on

    Thank you so much everybody for your kind comments and inspirational words- I am so happy that I have sparked some curiosity within you! I really hope that my blogging entry has inspired you to go out and pursue an ambition or perhaps try something new! Just remember: ‘we are all talented in our own way’ we must always be ‘passionately curious’!

    Reply
  20. Dr.m.shantikumar on

    I really enjoyed reading .
    She has properly thought, researched , analysed and written,
    What a Talent?
    Out for more discussion

    Reply

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