Am happy to report that I have received a free, fascinating education simply by asking questions.
A disclaimer: A few people I love dearly think that I ask too many questions. So to keep these wonderful people from feeling compelled to answer any of them, I begin by saying a generic “I wonder why...” or “I wonder if...”
Another disclaimer: I freely admit to sometimes asking “dumb questions.” Those are ones that followed quickly on the heels of the other person already giving the answer, and I was not listening.
Otherwise, there may not be any dumb questions, but certainly some can produce smarter, more insightful answers.
Historically, inventions and discoveries have come because someone challenged the status quo, or currently accepted myths, long enough to ask a question or two such as...
Is the earth really flat?
Why are so many women dying of infection after childbirth?
Could something be built that will help people to defy gravity and fly? (Wright brothers)
Asking questions, for me, is a way of staying engaged with my world and the people in my sphere.
A few years ago, I was seated on a plane coming from Washington, DC to Toronto with a man who was a pediatric cardiac surgeon. “What are some of the challenges you have faced?” And he explained that a baby’s heart is about the size of the end of his thumb and sometimes more than one corrective surgery is needed. He said that often the key to convincing the parents about the surgery was having the grandparents on board.
When will I ever have a chance again to speak with a pediatric surgeon?
