Perhaps the Question is the Answer

Questions are the most important tool of learning and of making sense of the world.

A prime example of this is when a child is growing up, they usually ask many questions about everything. They are unaware, hence curious and just getting to know the world around them. They question every small thing, starting from what they eat to what they see to what they are told.

As we get older, these questions decrease. We are introduced to the world of education, through which, we are exposed to systematized set of questions pre-planned for us. We are taught to ask the right questions. Our questions are designed for us to be able to get the particular answers. We ask to get an answer. Many times when we ask a question we actually have some sort of an answer in mind.

Questioning is one of the most under-rated things in life. However, a lot of times if you don’t question the most basic things in life you’re stuck in a vicious cycle without moving forward. If may not ask a question because we are scared of the answer we may get, it is the fear that prevents us. Maybe the questions we truly hate to ask are the ones we fear we already know the answer to.

I believe that it is through questions that we can comprehend the ever-changing nature of life. it is through questioning we can make better decisions. If we look at history some of the most important discoveries started with asking the right question. Questioning is what helps provides solutions to problems, to improve life for us and for others.

This makes me think, that in life maybe the question is more important than the answer.

The importance of questioning is equally valid in all spheres of life, educational, social, personal, cultural and religious. It is through questioning that we advance and understand the information that has been given to us. If we do not question, then we are just blindly following but not really being part of the process of change that has been imposed upon us. We become the tool of change rather than the creators of the change.

We live in a world where questioning is seldom encouraged, especially in certain societies; where in order to maintain a certain structure, hierarchies and customs; obedience is promoted. Questioning anything makes you an outlaw. Many times, the questions that you ask have no answers. It is because no one is used to being asked questions.

Personally, I have always had an attitude of questioning what ever has been told to me. From a young age, I was curious about knowing why we do things the way we do?

Why do we believe in certain things and why do we act in a certain way. I would always ask things like why should I learn this? Or why do I have to dress in this way? Why can’t I go play out after a certain age? Why can’t I talk to strangers? Why can’t I laugh out too loud?

I had an innate curiosity with the explanation behind our actions. I needed to know what is the reason behind the things we do before I did them. In other words, I needed to be convinced of why it is that I’m doing; what I’m doing. It satisfied my inquisitive nature but also allowed to seek a different option if I didn’t like what was given to me.

This is the attitude I carried with me as I grew up, I always looked at things and said why not?

Every societal norm, every law, every trend that was introduced to me as some sort of obligation and duty, I questioned. Not because I wanted to reject everything that was cultural and societal but because I wanted to know and comprehend the justification, logic and relevance behind it. Some things made sense, while others; most didn’t. Some traditions were rooted in deep history; I understood why certain things are practiced.

I grew up in a society of appearances, where as long as you appear to be content and keep up with certain acts, whether or not you believe in them, you’re fine. I saw a problem in not being able to voice your opinions on topics considered sensitive; topics such as: marriage, patriarchal structures, cultural norms, double standards and absolutely everything. I didn’t understand this sort of blind obedience. My questioning nature made me the odd one out amongst those who had no problem accepting and believing whatever was told to them without personal persuasion. Somehow, everything would relate to religion, used as a backup plan for shutting any opinions different from the usual.

However, the way I see it, Islam does not ask for blind following, in fact it encourages one to think and understand before believing. Understanding only comes through questioning. If we look at the religion, one of the initial steps of Islam was questioning. Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) started by questioning the society around him. He questioned the values and morals of people around him in order to bring them out of the age of ignorance. He made them re-think their beliefs, traditions and customs that were held so noble. It is through questioning that he was able to challenge all the faults and miss-doings of the people of that time.

Now, of course, living in a conservative and a patriarchal society, the whole concept of questioning has to be seen through gendered lenses. As always, I like to bring gender in the discussion because almost everything in my world is different for the two genders. Very often women are taught to lower their volume or not ask too many questions, as it’s not considered to be an unattractive quality. Women are generally expected to be on the receiving end of information. As a young girl myself, I was asked to abide by the same guidelines; being too inquisitive was considered rude. Whilst for men, this was a sign of intellect, manhood, maturity etc.

In hindsight, I can now conclude, all of these rules, regulations and gendered upbringing that hinders curiosity rather than promoting it; serves to train children and especially young girls to be followers rather than leaders. It limits their growth and experience in life. We fear change so much that we close all doors to it. The first and biggest step towards change is question and change is unavoidable, but we would rather have it imposed than create it.

It scares me to see how many people believe in what they do so strongly without knowing any accurate reasoning behind it.

People get defensive if you question their beliefs, or why they do things the way they do them. It is because they themselves don’t know the reason behind their practices. The outcome is the belief that one particular view or opinion is the ultimate truth and the right way of doing things. This is why so many people remain the same, they do not develop or grow.

The key to improving yourself and knowing yourself is through asking the right questions. Sometimes in life, the question is the answer.