Why should I read it? What is the need? What it has in it for me? Is this really important? These are some of the questions that comes to your mind when you start reading something, or while you are reading this. I have my own questions on the contrary – What should I write? Why should I write? What is the need? What would I gain? If you think over it, we have the same questions or at least similar. You must be wondering what I am referring to? Where am I taking it? For me it is – What I am writing about? The questions are always there, they only became invisible to us when we know an answer. Each one of you will have a different answer to the above questions. There can be many answers to a single question and all of them correct. This is what we’ll be talking about, the question?
What is a Question?
We all were taught that a question holds an answer. The statement may be vague as a question only holds a reference, I would say what else so you need? It means question is more important than answer. So, what is a question? There can be many answers, like – curiosity, or a way to learn, or a thing that is common between the world’s most successful inventors and children. It can be presented in any of the ways, or you could just come up with your own answer. Whatever the case, the one thing that remains same here is a question, basically a single important question with many answers. The best part, all the answers are correct.
Questions are the simplest and the most effective way of learning. Yet we forget this lesson as we grow older. We start valuing the answers more than questions. Not asking the questions has a direct impact on the choices we make. Being accustomed to the art of asking questions, enables us to have deep understanding, generate new innovative ideas and to arrive at better decisions.
Answer to a question
I have left a hidden question above where I said “thing that is common between the world’s most successful inventors and children. “ I know you have figured it out, however I would like to elaborate this statement – Scientists, thinkers and especially children never stop asking questions. Isaac Newton asked, “Why does this apple fall from a tree?” A child asked “Why the moon is walking with us?” Charles Darwin asked, “Why do the Galapagos islands have so many species?” Another child asked “How do the birds fly?” By asking these basic questions they started a process that lead to great breakthroughs. Do you see a difference? See, what we got here another question and not an answer.
The importance of asking questions can also be seen in the works of great philosophers. They spend their whole lives asking about the truth of life, purpose, morality and so on. The list is endless, you may get many examples even in the business world where many companies and even entire industries can be traced back to a single question. Alphabet’s (Google) Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt once said, “We run this company on questions, not answers.” Questions are more productive than answers. Questions keep you looking for answers. They’re the real drivers of action and initiative.
Why do we stop asking questions?
Ask yourself, you will get your answer. I always say “you have answers to everything”, if you don’t have one, the problem is you actually don’t have a question. Think over it, you will know what I am referring to.
“The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon”
The above quote from “The Way of Kings” is here for a purpose. If you are looking for an answer, you will not find it here. What can I provide here?
I would say, some examples that I believe you all can relate, and comes from various online discussion forums –
- Being Lazy, when we start assuming that we know all the important things we do not take the pain to ask more. We make assumptions and remain certain that they are right, yet end up looking foolish.
- Being Afraid, some of us are afraid that by asking questions we would look weak or ignorant. We try to give an impression that we are firm and decisive and know everything relevant. We think that asking question creates a bad impression. However it is the sign of strength and intelligence – not of weakness or ignorance.
- Being in hurry, some of us are always in hurry, we don’t stop for the questions as it might slow us down. We forget that “a late start is always better than a head start in wrong direction.”
So, what is it that is holding you back? You may not have found your answer yet, but the purpose was to give you questions. Imagine what would the world be like, if we stop holding back our questions?
Remember that the great leaders keep asking questions as they know, it is the only way to get answers.
“He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes, he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.” – Chinese Proverb
P.S. The purpose of this writing is solved, even if you have a single question – “Why I wasted my time reading this?” Trust me you are on right track.
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