The Comfort Zone (CZ) has been talked about a lot, recently. A Major League hitter looking for a pitch in “his comfort zone”. A politician setting up soft interviews so he can stay in “his comfort zone”. But what is a CZ, really? Lets ask google: “a psychological state in which things are close and familiar to a person and under their control, enabling low level of stress and anxiety.”

Now this from google about Intellectual Curiosity (IC): “a genuine interest in learning about a wide variety of topics and ideas.”

Does it appear to you, readers, CZ is the opposite of IC? Can IC and CZ coexist?

It is logical CZ can be a dangerous place, despite its definition. A cave man in his CZ after eating a rack of mastodon ribs, might not realize the aroma of his meal will lure sabre tooth tigers for an epicurean investigation of their own. In this case, IC tigers will affect the CZ of the caveman.

In analyzing successful contentmentors (sic, and pronounced content mentors) in my own unscientific way, most seem content because of something learned, investigated or revealed to them. In my essay, good Customer Service was an example. Contentment was introduced, accepted, and enjoyed. Yay. But it was a process of intellectual acrobatics, and the resulting CZ was free of outside tigers.

Plainly, there is nothing wrong with a properly investigated and supported CZ. But it is the result of active and purposeful IC. Modern politics is an example of improperly constructed CZs unnecessarily resulting in Tribe Over Truth (TOT). How many Democrats/Liberals watch Fox News? How many Republicans/Conservatives watch MSN? Everyone knows the answer. When talking with a conservatives I usually get the Fox News spiel, and when questioned, my conversational partner suddenly realizes he/she/them is/are being lured outside their CZ, and retreats to a “lower level of stress and anxiety”. It is probably the same for Liberals when questioned by good, IC Conservatives.

A conclusion: we cannot be IC with out leaving our CZ. Why?

A purposely blunt statement regarding the good of this country and our future: Blow up your political CZ! Don’t be a caveman inviting tigers to eat our future.

If it helps any, politician know all about IC-resistant CVs, and how to take advantage. All of them know. Let’s get THEM out of their CZs. Let us be the Tigers.