Why?
Feb. 5, 2023
If you have or had children, do you remember the curiosity they had? Questions, questions, endless questions. Even if you gave an answer, the question came back, “Why?” And then after a while, your answer was: “Because I said so” or “That’s just the way it is.” The “why” questions I am addressing are the common ones. So, why do we stop asking questions about the things we do and experience? Here are three examples of different types of questions we might ask:
Everyday cultural and traditional questions:
- Why do we typically think we need to eat three meals a day?
- Why do we use “silverware,” use forks in the left hand, and the knife in the right hand
Investigative questions:
- Why is the sky blue?
- Why do some think the climate is warming due to man’s activity? Is the climate really warming?
Authoritative questions:
- Is my doctor’s diagnosis and recommendation correct?
- Are masks effective against COVID as CDC says?
Religious questions:
- Why do we think a congregation needs a “church building and staff?” It wasn’t needed until after Constantine.
- Why do we observe the Lord’s Supper the way we do?
- Why do we think a congregation needs to meet on Wednesday nights? Where did this originate?
Why don’t we ask why? Our education system teaches students to “answer the question correctly.” It does not teach students to ask “why.” So, by middle school the natural curiosity of children is stilled.[i]
We live in a culture that primarily asks one to yield to the “authoritative” pronouncements of the elite—cultural, political, economic, health, and religious. Even in our most personal areas such as health and religion, we yield to the “experts.” Recent events should have demonstrated to us the experts are very fallible. [ii] Traditions and culture have some benefit if they transmit the right values. Until we recapture the wonder of children and ask ourselves “Why Do We Do What We Do?” , we will be captive to the elites, experts, and traditions of the past.
[i] Why Do We Stop Asking, Why? – Values-Driven Culture (valuesdrivenculture.com)
[ii] Why Are We Reluctant to Ask Why? | Psychology Today
Excellent thoughts. I have always asked why which sometimes got me into trouble. But it is being squelched in today’s world. We are just supposed to be “followers.” Many parents teach their children not to ask questions or question them.
Thought provoking. There seems to be little asking “why” today in politics in particular.
People rarely ask why about church matters either.
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