1000's of Dolphins Congregating

[Monica]

I don't see how feeling hope or fear precludes curiosity. Please explain why you say this.

I say it to explain something about the mechanisms of hope and fear.

I have felt fear many times while still feeling curious about and investigating a strange noise in the woods all the while hoping that it wasn't a bear that would eat me.

First, they are not simultaneous, nor capable of being simultaneous. So no, not "all the while". Unconscious reactions can be mixed with conscious attention, over time, but they don't actually occur at the same time.

Similarly, the the hope or fear (driven by still-unconscious aspects of self) precludes curiosity of their origin.

What is this based on? Psychology? Your observation? or...?