Last week at a grocery store, I bumped into a high school classmate who stopped me to say that she never fails to buy a copy of the Negros Weekly. Even more so since I started writing for the paper. She said she loves all my articles (thank you!) but she cannot understand why I always have so many questions in them. She asked me if I really don’t know and would like answers to them, or am I asking questions because I want my readers to answer them? I. Was. Dumbfounded! That led me to rummage over the articles I have written so far and true enough, even my first attempt at writing started with a “Why”?
Of course, I needed help to explain this pesky situation. Google has this to say: “Innovators understand client needs by asking questions. It is the simplest and most effective way of learning. Brilliant thinkers never stop asking questions because they know that this is the easiest way to gain deeper insights.”
You see? Not only am I an innovator but I am brilliant as well! (Pssst! please don’t take that statement as truth but consider it as a dreamer’s folly!) I do not claim to be an authority on a lot of stuff and definitely, I will always need guidance and the expert opinion of others.
I am not a professional writer either although sometimes I like to pretend that I am a Pulitzer awardee on something. Rather, I write from the heart, from what I learned in school, from my personal experiences, even from experiences of other people and, from reading. I may sound silly, crazy, and over and above everyone else’s comprehension most times, but that is me, and my readers can just take me for what I am or what I pretend to be.
That is why there is always this desire to ask and receive validation. When you come to think of it, asking questions can get you to a place quicker, tell you how to do things quickly, and can get you to your goals faster without traipsing through many barriers along the way.
I doubt very much if the esteemed physicist, Mr. Albert Einstein would have come up with his famous theory of e=mc2 had he not asked “why”, but also “what”, about the relativity of energy and mass. And then there are Bill Gates of Microsoft, Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Larry Page of Google. Did you think all these trendsetters just came out with their creations from out of nowhere without asking the questions, “why not this?” Or, “can I do it?” Or, “is it possible?”
I so believe the contention that as soon as you stop being curious, you become dead meat. Knowing and learning are the working tools of a savant. Just imagine if you don’t know how to read, or to write, and to count? (Hey, I’m asking a question again!)
Our parents knew this first hand. That’s why there is the never-ending lecture of why we should take our studies to heart and to aim for higher education. My favorite quote is that of education being their legacy to us. “I can leave this world now knowing that you can fend for yourselves with the knowledge that I have provided you with.”
True enough. With knowledge comes fame, riches, honor, and power. You have more chances to pass a job interview today if your resume highlights your educational attainment with an MA or PhD. (Definitely not the “educated fools” of Ray’s Ruminations.) Graduating from a prestigious university is even better. Where it used to be a lawyer, nurse, or an engineer for the most wanted profession, now everyone aims to enter the IT field because that’s where the money is. (Do I hear grumblings from my nephew, Patrick Allan?)
If, for instance, you want to work for either one of the four tech biggies today, you do not only need to show a sparkling CV, but you also need to demonstrate an extraordinary fervor and almost cult-like dedication to the company and their products. Oh yes, they pay big, but understand that for all these perks, it’s not unusual for employees in these companies to work for days on end without let up.
You’ve heard of Bill Gates memorizing employees’ car plates and going around the Microsoft parking lots to check on who is working overnight, yes? And I’m also sure that you have heard of the presence of sleeping pods as well as bathing facilities in some of these companies for employees who do not have the luxury of going home to change, etc. because they have work to finish?
I am reminded of the story of a newbie in a big pharma company who was assigned a very important task by his boss. In his desire to impress, the newbie spent a total of one week even working late nights to complete his assignment. When he submitted his work, his director praised his efforts but said, it would have taken him at most, two days, had he asked if there were any shortcuts towards the completion of his assignment.
The keywords in this case were “what” and “how”. In its most simplistic form, this thirst for knowledge manifests itself in our young ones, as we were in not-too-distant past, young ourselves. Who has not heard these questions over and over again: Why is the sky blue? Why is the world round? Why do monkeys like bananas? Why do elephants have trunks? Why, indeed. You will never be able to give a satisfactory answer if you didn’t go to school, visit a library, visit a museum, or scoured through all available sources of knowledge.
In my case, through knowledge I can now confidently map out my future. What I want to become and how, in my life can either result to financial or social successes – or at worse, provide me with the chance to experience failure and yet learn and prosper from it. How do I do that? Again – ask, listen, learn, and apply. Through these processes, maybe I can further awaken my mental awareness, even develop my leadership potential, and be another Kamala Harris (dream on, girl!). Maybe I can even be a people influencer and run an exclusive distributorship of my very own beauty products, Skinbar soaps, or clothing line. Oh, you can check out skinbar.ph and Amari, that’s my grand Martina’s booming business after bombarding her parents with so many questions of hows and whens. Recently she got noticed by Cosmo Philippines for having some of the cutest ads online.
And so, to my dear high school friend: You just have to bear with a grin when you see me asking questions in my column for they will certainly keep on coming as long as I need answers for anything. I hope this won’t keep you from regularly buying your copy of Negros Weekly. Or how does a subscription sound? – NWI
