Why Ask Why?
Any fool can know. The point is to understand.
Attributed to Albert Einstein
“Mom, can I watch you make Gramma’s roast beef recipe? I want to make it for a couple of friends who are coming over to my apartment next week.”
“Sure. After you preheat the oven, the first thing you do is cut off the ends of the roast.”
“Hopefully, the second thing I do is not getting a Band-Aid® from the first-aid kit.”
“Just be careful. Next you add salt and three or four bay leaves.”
“Mom, why do you cut off the ends?
“I don’t know. Let’s call Gramma and find out.”
“Hi, Honey. Is everything OK?”
“Yes. I’m showing Amy how to make your famous roast, and she wants to know why we cut the ends off the roast. . . . What’s so funny?”
“Oh, Honey. I cut the ends off because the roast was always too big for my roasting pan.”
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Unnecessarily trimming a roast seems foolish, but we are often more foolish.
We collect facts, recite them on a test, and call that education.
We incarcerate nonviolent criminals, which may produce unwanted consequences.
We generate reports for a client or superior without questioning the reason for the report. Often, only a few data points are used — sometimes none.
Here are some other things we tend to accept without asking “why”:
· Having three meals each day
· Eating certain foods just for breakfast
· Taking the summer off for schools
· Giving students a lot of repetitive homework
· Charging by the hour for knowledge work
· Watching network news in the evening
· Buying newspapers
· Requiring legal documents to be sent by fax machines
· Men wearing neckties in formal settings
· Men giving women a diamond ring as part of the engagement ritual
Society takes a while to change, but we can change anytime we want.
We should get in the habit of asking “why,” even if we don’t ask out loud.
When a doctor prescribes a medication or orders a procedure, we should ask “why.”
When we consider buying something, we should ask ourselves what job are we “hiring” that product to do?
When being trained how to perform a task, we should make sure we know why we are doing it that way.
Knowing is good, but understanding is a superpower.
Asking “why” is the first step toward understanding.
Out now on Amazon: The Courageous Heart: Wisdom for Difficult Times, an Eric Hoffer Award Finalist. Grab your copy today.
