“Only the one who does not question is safe from making a
mistake.”
—Albert Einstein
Life is a long interesting journey they say.While We’re at it we
are out to succeed;somehow,at something.And thereby find fulfillment.Of course
every one has their own field of pursuit,which is okay.
Yet everyone is also a student.Right?Even the masters,the true
masters, in any arena will tell you they are essentially students of their art.
And a true student often asks.Questions.Lots of them.
Flashlights of Life
Questions are the little flashlights of life.They help you find
your way.They point somewhere.When you look where they point you find
direction.You find answers.Answers that bring hope,faith,purpose,and
fulfillment along with them.Yet it is critical to make sure that our questions
are right.That they are moving us forwards and not in the reverse.
Repetetive Questions.
Once there was a young fish in a tank,along with many others.It
would often swim upto a point in the middle of the tank and then abruptly
turn back.Why? Because all others did so too.Then one day it stopped midstream
before turning back, from that fixed point, for an umpteenth time.It just asked
why it was turning back,when there was so much more food beyond that invisible
“wall of return”.
She asked the others and they told her exactly that.There was an invisible wall there
indeed!Many moons ago the granny-fish in the tank had nearly broken their
snouts bashing against it .They vouched for it.So now everyone wisely left the
“invisible wall “ alone.Yet the young fish still wanted to find out more.Why,it
kept asking,must we still turn back?Couldn’t the wall have disappeared by
now?So she kept asking the older,wizend ones,while she herself continued turning
back, like them, from that habitual point of return.
She was too curious,the
others felt.Her questions would never fade away.Then one day she decided to do
the unthinkable.She resolved to bash her snout against the “secret wall”
too.Even at the cost of hurting herself,and appearing foolish before all
else.And she did it.Guess what?She did not break her snout. Instead she went
through the “unbreakable invincible wall”.The tank owner had placed a huge
glass sheet to separate one part of the tank from another ,which he had long
since removed.The other fish,out of habit,had stopped venturing beyond that absent glass wall,or even questioning its presence.Now there was no wall!Of course our little young fish lived
happily ever after; to enjoy the succulent meals across the wall,and also the adulation of her
“school-mates”.
That is the power of repetitive questions.They open doors
unseen.They melt mythical boundaries.They clear the way for richness
unimagined.Questions that occur to us,and occur again ,and again ,are like
drumbeats.They are telling us to fall in step with a steady march toward growth
and accomplishment.
But do we honestly listen?
The Response :Street Side Or Hall Of Fame?
Often when questions roll downhill, barreling towards us
,commanding us to take decisive action ,we falter. Taking action is fraught
with effort, change, and the possibility of failure. This is not digested too
well.So we tune our inner ears out.We do not listen to the questions.We dare
not.It makes sense to dismiss them. Quite like waving off irritating mosquitoes
close by.Henry Ford didn't do that when his engineers told him that putting the
V8 engine in one block was impossible.That’s because his questions spurred him
towards the unthinkable. The Wright Brothers listened intently to some noisy
questions too; the ones that asked them how they could kiss the skies like
eagles do. Einstein answered interesting questions as well.In doing so he
changed the dimension of scientific possibilities after them.Its amazing that
all luminaries have a common thread concerning their response to answers.
When we follow the crowd we seldom listen to our questions. We
only hear pre written answers that are a cheap copy of collective fear and
insecurity.
What Do You Do With A Loaded Gun?
Questions are loaded guns. Their barrels spit out answers that
enrich us,or spell disaster.When we “get” our questions all we need do is to
pull the trigger.Fire the gun.Then wait for the report.It always comes,and in
this case it returns with answers.It opens doors.
Asking questions is a craft,which some people keep polishing
throughout life .They arrive at higher levels of success each time.It’s a skill
that brings hefty success more often than not.Asking questions is a fine art
to be mastered ,which few of us care to think about.Lets rest for a while
with this thought.The only concern being, to make sure that our questions are
relevant for our purpose.That they are pointed towards
success,strength,ability,and accomplishment.Once a question has been asked it
is crucial to see where it is directed.Is it furthering what we want or
not?That is what we do with a loaded gun.Aim it well.Two questions in the face
of similar challenge reveal everything about the aim of the gun;and the
marksmanship of the one wielding it.Contrast this “why does this always happen to
me?” to “What does this teach me?”
Where They Can Take Us.
Well crafted questions have the power to lead us all the way
to our goals.Towards achievement,higher self esteem,assured growth,to
heady fulfillment,confidence,and happiness.Misdirected questions are the
lovechild of impatience and insecurity.Despair and discouragement
quickly follow..A primary school science teacher was instructing the students
about the uses of a magnifying glass.Held over a minute object at a correct distance,it
presented a clear,enlarged view to the inquisitive eyes.A few minutes
later when focussed with the sun’s intense rays at another angle it
burned,and reduced that same object to a smokey,smelly lump of waste.Questions
by themselves are powerless magnifying glass.It’s the way they are held that
makes the difference.
The right context is the true power of a question.
Over to you my friends.......
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