I think it helps to have time to follow curiosity. If there are questions that I want to know the answers to, and I have time and energy to pursue them, that can take up a lot of my attention. Sometimes that eventually leads to conflicts, if there are obstacles or societal incentives to dissuade people from finding the info.
It's hard to follow curiosity in a context where time and attention are claimed and commanded - like most elementary and high schools in North America.