I think that everyone is curious at some level. That is, they will ask a question when there is something that they don’t know or understand. But, that does not mean that they are inquisitive.

When someone is “inquisitive,” it means that they aren’t just curious–but, that they will follow-up on it. They will ask the second, third or maybe fourth question. And, if they are then not satisfied, they will keep pursuing the matter until they understand more.

In terms of fairly recent American History, the example of President George H.W. Bush vs. his son, George W. Bush, is instructive. The first Bush was on his way to Baghdad with our Army and allies, but he asked the second or third question–who will be with us till the end? Who will run the country if we take it? What will it cost? He stopped the Army on the road to Baghdad.

His son, asked none of these questions. Those around him said: “The Iraqi people will welcome us with open arms.” “Unlike before, we will crush Saddam Hussein.” “We should finish off what your father started,” etc.

Now, decades later, we have, in Iraq, a failed state with several thousand American casualties to prove it, and over a trillion dollars spent on a losing cause. Being inquisitive matters.

I have often thought that successful businessmen (women) are also those who are inquisitive. “I know that we sold a lot of product this year, but what happens if we have a downturn next year?” “I can read the financial statements, but what is the substance behind them?” “Is there a way we can do more with less?”

Obviously, inventors and scientists have to be inquisitive. You don’t discover something new without asking a lot of questions.

In the larger scheme of American History, both Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt were known for appointing advisors who had differing opinions or even different political affiliations than their own in order to get to the truth. They asked a lot of questions.

However, the American President who stands out to me as probably our most inquisitive was Thomas Jefferson. If you have ever visited his homestead at Monticello, you can see the inventions that he was working on, the books he was reading, what was on his mind.

He was able to envision a government other than one controlled by a British monarch and put these ideas into writing.

However, I have always thought that the most inquisitive side of Jefferson came with his push to buy the Louisiana Purchase from the French. He knew it was big, but how big? To figure that out, he got Congress to agree to outfit Lewis and Clark and send them on a mission up the Missouri River and to an end nobody knew.

Two years later, they reappeared having gone over the Continental Divide and on to the Pacific Ocean. Jefferson wanted to always find out what was over the horizon. You can only do that by asking more questions and seeking more truth. Being inquisitive is a good thing!

Rolland Kidder is a Stow resident and a former New York state Assemblyman.