Importance of Questioning

Ever wondered how many questions you ask yourself in a day?

We are all born curious, but do we stay curious?

I read this in an interesting article by Alistair Cox:Children ask a staggering 73 questions a day, compared to just 20 that adults ask.

Favourite question of kids: WHY? Most hated question by parents: WHY?

But why question in the first place?

You know that learning doesn’t stop with academics. Continuous learning is a must for personal growth.

Life itself is a process of learning. And learning doesn't happen without questioning.

“Question everything, learn something, answer nothing” - Euripides

If you want to achieve something big in life, then you need to start questioning.

We all desire positive results. Positive results require the right action. Right action is based on right thinking. And right thinking is a result of asking the right questions.

Now, what are the right questions?

Before I answer that, let’s look at a short story:

Isidor I. Rabi, the Nobel laureate in physics was once asked, ''Why did you become a scientist, rather than a doctor or lawyer or businessman, like the other immigrant kids in your neighbourhood?''

Dr. Rabi replied: ''My mother made me a scientist without ever intending it. Every other Jewish mother in Brooklyn would ask her child after school: 'So? Did you learn anything today?' But not my mother. She always asked me a different question. 'Izzy,' she would say, 'did you ask a good question today?' That difference - asking good questions -made me become a scientist!''

You are asking the right question if it opens up your mind.If it brings clarity to your mind which is full of confusion.If it leads to growth instead of stagnation.

Right questioning leads you to see things as they are, not as you want them to be.

This is the difference between a superstitious mind and a scientific mind.

The more you are entangled in your thoughts, the more your head gets filled with darkness. And we fear the darkness. This fear is what makes you attach yourself to a belief.

Questioning is not about labelling your beliefs as right or wrong. And nor is it about excessive self-doubting.

Different people you follow will have different beliefs. Now, who is right? And who is wrong?

So it’s better to just put a question mark on whatever you are told to be true. Otherwise, you will end up with conflicts within yourself.

Find your own truth.

Here are some important questions which you can sit with for a couple of days and slowly answer them:

• Question your existing beliefs

• Your preconceived notions

• Question what others preach to be the truth

• Your food habits

  • How many times do you eat from outside?

  • How many servings of fruits and vegetables do you have per day?

  • Is your current diet aligned with your goals?

• Your career choice

  • Is it aligned with your basic nature?

  • Are you effortless when doing it?

  • Does your mind want to work more even if your body is exhausted?

• Your relationships

  • Are you being yourself?

  • Do you trust the other person?

  • Do you respect each other?

  • Are you generally happy with the relationship?

You can play with those questions and see what works for you.

To wrap things up

Questioning is the beginning of all intelligence.

Ask the right questions to escape mediocrity.

My favourite subject — spirituality is self-discovery, which is nothing but a process of self-enquiry or questioning.

We will be questioning different aspects of spirituality and psychology in upcoming letters.

Stay tuned and until then...

Discover Yourself!

— Ragav