There is an oddity about “why” questions. There are two levels of difficulty in “why” questions. The first is the “why questions” we ask when we are young, i.e., why is the sky blue? The other “why” questions can catch us off guard and are much more challenging to answer – why are you a Christian or why are you a member of a particular political party, or why did you marry your spouse? There is another oddity of “why” questions. We rarely, if ever, ask those questions of ourselves. When we ask a “why” question, it is often in a time of crisis, such as a problem in our marriage or our political party seems to be going off track.
There is a danger when we ask the “why” question of ourselves. Years ago, I wrote a short story about a man who had lost his job because the company he worked for failed. The story started with the man asking the “why” question about the job and why he had taken it. He asked the “why” question about his marriage and then the decision to have children. He kept asking the “why” questions until he became totally unhinged. The story ends with the unanswered question of “why” he should continue to live. I thought it was best if each reader answered that “why” question for themselves.
While the “why” questions can be dangerous, they can also be helpful. An example from my life is after my first wife died, I asked myself “why” I was headed to a life in business. The simple answer was I was attempting to follow in my father’s footsteps even though I didn’t like things I had seen in business. I don’t regret asking the “why” questions. It saved me from a life of doing what I really didn’t want to do. It was better to ask the “why” question in my 20s rather than on my deathbed with no ability to change.
I suggest you take some time every now and then ask yourself the “why” question about many things in life. Start with simple things. You might ask yourself, “why” do I mow the lawn on Saturday? Every now and then, ask yourself a difficult “why” question such as why did I choose the job I’m in? I believe it will lead to a happier life.
