That, Detective, is the Right Question

When faced with an obstacle, a wall, a new fold in our lives, so commonly we scour over hours of conversation, slews of past memories, and, well, the internet, trying to find what we claim are answers. When pitted against a new challenge, an answer is the solution, right?

We all seem to be so caught up on an answer that we accept shreds of full ideas as perfectly viable options. We attach ourselves onto anything that resembles a successful solution, hoping to use someone else's gain as our own. These answers that we pull down don't always make sense. They don't always follow with our individual life strategies. They don't even have to be well thought out. When you're sinking in quick sand, any rope will do.

But sometimes, instead of just swerving around an obstacle in order to get past it, you have to figure out what you're dealing with before you can solve it. And sometimes, the best way to find out about something is to ask questions, rather than find answers.

I tend to overpopulate my writing with repetitive rhetorical questions. Maybe it's my way of making a point without standing so strong behind my conviction. I have a small fear of feeling like I'm preaching when I'm writing these things, since all I'm doing is guessing. My questions only encourage readers to ask some questions of their own, and consider my thoughts as some building blocks to their own. And who didn't think of Entourage when you read the word encourage? Can't wait for summer. But I am off topic. My point is that asking questions about broad topics, large strokes, and difficult situations allows you to see more of the picture.

The tricky part is finding the right question to ask.

Unfortunately, most of my inspiration for this post comes from iRobot (even if its something I think about frequently), since that's when I first heard this idea.

I would be foolish to honestly believe that answers, aren't the right answer... but some of the fundamental stepping stones often end in question marks. or questions written with poor grammar and periods. But by questioning everything first, by wondering how things would play out, by figuring out what your theories actually explain, you might discover something new and worthwhile.

Not to be confused with my 'question everything' mentality since nothing is what it seems, questions, when the right one is asked, can be more powerful than the next answer that the internet has to offer. Google can't figure out your heart, as much as I want to believe it can.