Thursday, December 01, 2005

Thoughts from the end of the hall.

Random musings from the back of my mind.

I have recently found that I have a way of making almost anyone hate me, and it has to do with my conversations and some of my own personal philosophy. I ask too many questions, I answer questions with questions. I have a problem.

I admit it, I have a problem. I have a problem with statements, sentences, answers. I. Do. Not. Like. Them.

They lead no where, they are dead; once said they have no importance. I love Questions, questions have a purpose that out lives themselves. Questions lead to more questions, they are alive. Questions have meaning, they have substance, they learn. I think that more and more I have come to embrace this concept in much of my life, I do not like to hear anything but questions. Questions are how you get to know someone, how you learn about them. A well phrased question will be remembered (e.g Et tu Brute?) where as the answer is sometimes worthless.

If I tell you that the answer is 34 plus or minus 2, it means absolutely nothing, it is only numbers. If I tell you that "Edward did it" there would be nothing to work with. The question is what matters, without it words are only noise.

The question is the fundamental concept that learning is possible. Notice how people phrase the age old "Question", "Why did the caveman draw on the wall?" It to me seems that the answer is, that his friend asked how many Mastadons there were 3 hills over and the guy needed more space to answer in. A cave painting, a picture, a book, the internet, all of these are about the beauty of the Question; why did the cave man paint? We know he did, we know how, we know what he painted with, we even know when; but we are fascinated with the WHY. The Mona Lisa is not the most famous painting because it is executed wonderfully, or uses color better than any other, it is famous cause everyone wonders why she smiles like she does. You buy a book because you have a question, if you had the answers, you would not need it.

Even think about the word "Question". It is a Quest, a journey towards an end. It is the act of seeking, it is the adventure of learning.

I admit I have a love of the Question.

Why?

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