STATE THE QUESTION

October 7th, 2019

Episode 390 of Tinkered Thinking looked to explore the underlying nature of questions.

In short, it’s an open-ended concept that creates forward momentum.

Does this mean that every question must end in a question mark with upward inflection?

Perhaps not.

Now a pedantic linguist might get their tongue in a twist over that, but Tinkered Thinking seeks to track and unpack the basic tools that we have in order to change the way we think.  That’s inevitably, going to deal with language first and foremost.

Questions, are most useful when they propel our minds into a new direction.  Stagnation is the enemy of health, and in order to keep our thinking fresh, we must always be tinkering with it.

Questions are our most powerful tool for this.  Indeed, they may be our only real tool at the end of the day.

If we are looking for some forward momentum, is the lock-and-key, riddle-and-answer style question the only way to fulfill the spark of this forward momentum?

No.

There exist a variety of statements that challenge us in the same way that a good traditional question does.

Compare for example, this question and the corresponding statement.

Is there a better way to word what I’m saying?

and

There’s a better way to word what I’m saying.

Strangely, the statement form of the question is a stronger provocation of what lies at the heart of the question.

With the traditional question form: is there a better way to word what I’m saying?

We can get lazy and simply say ‘no’ and be done with it all.

But the statement obligates us to adventure.

The statement declares the start of a quest and simultaneously hauls into existence a treasure at the end of that quest.

But the question form: that upward inflection and that little squiggle over the period puts treasure at risk. 

Where in one universe we might be too lazy to find that treasure –that traditional answer- the parallel universe that demands the existence of a treasure filters out this risk and focuses our will power.

A sly post might end by asking you if you’re asking yourself the right questions?

But the fact is:

 You are simply one question away from heading in a much better direction.

Find that question.

Create it.

Then let the natural draw of that question propel you forward.

If you aren't naturally drawn forward, then you haven't yet found what you are looking for.

This episode references two popular episodes.  Episode 390: Question about the Question and Episode 30: The Only Tool