What do we know?

I am a curious person. You probably are, too. Most people are curious, although some learn to express their curiosity about others through speaking our judgements. If you look behind the criticism of someone’s shoes, their lifestyle, their choice of work, often you can see the unvoiced curiosity: how do they do it? Or, why do they like red shoes with a pink shirt?

I tend to ask questions. These are intended to be open questions. I ask not because I don’t know some of the answer, but because I don’t know all of the answer. And strangely, I often forget that others hear my questions as requests for information. So they answer them. They don’t stop and wonder, is there another reason beyond what I already know?

It is essential in our trying to create a society – and hopefully a better one, or one which avoids some of the mistakes of the past – to be able to solve problems. Actual solving of problems means going to the root cause and addressing that. Identifying the source of the problem. Since we often have been mulling over problems in various ways, it may mean asking wide open questions. Asking, what is it that I don’t know about this situation – even if I think I do?

Here’s a challenge for you: ask yourself some questions, wide open. Or when you hear another person ask, don’t answer. Let the question stand open for some time. And see what comes in -perhaps from the Spirit- to answer.