The Art of Asking Part 1: Finding Inspiration in Questions
Boost Creativity & Self-Improvement with Powerful Questioning Techniques
There must be no barriers to freedom of inquiry. There is no place for dogma in science. The scientist is free, and must be free to ask any question, to doubt any assertion, to seek for any evidence, to correct any errors.
Questions
As you may already know, I do love questions. In fact, many things I write are littered with them. Most of the time I strive to answer the questions myself, but occasionally I don’t have an answer or they’re not meant for me.
Most of my writing starts off as a question I am looking to answer. I rarely do anything here without the intent to answer. Whether it is a subscriber who posed a challenge and I am unsure if I can rise to it or not, or perhaps I am struggling with something in life and I want to try and think it through, they’re all questions.
Mostly it’s “Can I navigate through this?”
What I have found is, yes, if I stick to something and take the time to honestly and diligently work through a thought, I will eventually see the end.
The Power of Questions
“Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.”
But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”
And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”
Exodus 10-12
Well, that was someone questioning God. That’s a brave thing to do.
In our quest for personal growth and purpose, we often overlook the incredible power of questions. Asking the right questions can not only spark curiosity but also pave the way for self-discovery and positive change.
By delving deeper into our experiences, emotions, and aspirations, we can identify areas where we need improvement and uncover those talents within us we never knew we had.
This journey begins with embracing the power of purposeful questions and the meaningful insights they bring to our lives.
Buckle up, this will be a “question” (the word) heavy piece.
Transformation Through Inquiry
The journey of personal growth is one marked by constant self-reflection, learning, and adaptation. One crucial element in this process is the art of asking questions.
But do questions truly matter in personal growth?
Uhh, yeah. They do.
The art of asking questions and the art of introspection are inextricably linked. Questions are the catalysts of thought. Much like prayer and revelation, asking yourself questions is the only way you’ll gain personal insight.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
James 1:5 KJV
Does this passage speak only on material aspects? Perhaps miracles?
Likely not. Why would you not seek out a divine answer to something you’re struggling with?
Yet more questions, of course. Feel free to answer any that you see here!
An Attempt at Peace, Mid-Piece
I never know what to call my writings. Except, of course, the book I’m working on. THAT is called a book. Easy peasy.
But I have been struggling with something myself. Anticipatory anxiety. Why is it that I jump to worst case scenarios and then assume I’m correct?
I have written on this time and again yet I haven’t found the end. However, I have made strides in understanding. It also helps that you fine folks add substance in the comments about personal struggles with similar issues and certain life and Biblical truths that apply.
That reminds me, Jesus said something about this:
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Matthew 6:34 KJV
That means, to me, worrying about what may happen is folly, as there is plenty to undertake and overcome happening now.
I think I’ll have to pray on that.
But what then is anxiety?
Well, a compulsion to move. Or, a push towards movement. So, move, right?
But what if anxiety remains? What if it’s a constant?
What is that?
And that is my question, and I need to answer it. It seems as though it MUST be a lack of path forward. A need to move but nothing to guide. An intense desire for momentum without a medium in which to obtain or guide the momentum required.
It is being lost. It is not having a clear goal.
And there it is. Something I have been struggling with. I do not have clear goal at this time. I set some out, of course, but they can get lost, they can be obscured and that appears to be what has happened.
With everything life throws at us and everything that has been happening lately I have lost my way, my guiding light.
Time to buckle back up and find it.
Good Questions, Historical Figures
Always the beautiful answer who asks a more beautiful question.
Well, let’s see who else liked questions throughout our time on this planet. Seems one poet may have, at least.
By doubting we are led to question, by questioning we arrive at the truth.
Ah, philosophers. The arbiters of questioning. That’s a good start, apart from the poets. Poets are on another level, in my estimation, as the greats seem to be the interpreters of the divine (according to thinkers who were able to go much deeper than I).
A logician, a theologian. Peter Abelard used reason, logic, and a deep understanding of theology during his life and kept a truth-centric approach.
It’s easy to diverge from truth when attempting to answer the unanswerable. So that’s one heck of an accomplishment.
All through questions.
It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.
So, hold on, you’re telling me he was a playwright?
And what the hell does this mean?
Both fun questions. The first was obviously an attempt at giving some background to his chosen art. But it is interesting to think that playwrights PLAYED an important role in modern thinking and philosophy, especially regarding the importance of questions.
But what does it mean that answers don’t enlighten?
We may need to consult more experts.
Socrates and his methods come to mind. Dialectical engagements tend to lead to more robust understanding and critical thinking skills, so that is a good place to start.
But why?
Well, when you’re sitting in class staring at a whiteboard full of answers, you’re not actively being engaged. You’re being told to shut up, look, listen, and take notes. This is important for some things, it could skew towards important for MOST things.
But it doesn’t require or encourage any thought besides what’s needed for memorization and repetition.
But what about questions?
What happens when you’re in that class, daydreaming, then suddenly called upon with a question?
Your mind RACES. Involuntarily your brain starts searching for the answer. An answer. Any answer.
Frantically at that.
Questions STIMULATE. Questions force thought and with that comes the potential for enlightenment.
If you do not know how to ask the right question, you discover nothing.
If you’re in art class, would you ask why a basketball has dimples?
I mean, you could, and hopefully the art teacher is the basketball coach. Though unlikely, it COULD happen.
If you’re in church, would you ask about watercolors and how to use them to create a certain desired effect?
Maybe. Likely not.
Those are easy examples, but they’re pertinent. Ask the right questions to find what you need. Ask in the right setting. Ask at the right time.
How do you know when those factors align?
You don’t initially, but you also haven’t always been able to read. It took time. It took attempts.
Ask questions so you can get better at asking questions.
Look dumb, we’re all dumb somewhere.
That’s it for now.
I will be adding a second portion to this. And remember, changes are coming. There will be paywalls for some content going forward.
Certainly not for everything.
We’ll see how this goes. It’s an odd thing, payment.
It’s a sacrifice in the figurative sense and a burden in a realistic sense.
But it’s also a testimony or a pronouncement of value.
And I don’t mean those words to prop ME up or my own writing and material, I am speaking purely conceptually.
So, what is it that makes one worthy of obtaining subscriptions?
That is a question I need to work through.
I hope this has been helpful.
Love,
Dad