The Million Dollar Question

Where am I? Who am I?
How did I come to be here?
What is this thing called the world?
How did I come into the world?
Why was I not consulted?
And If I am compelled to take part in it,
Where is the director?
I want to see him.
                                                  -Soren Kierkegaard

Sitting in the class, listening to the lecturers has very few merits but listening to the insightful questions that come up now and then. I have to give the credit to those who can do it, those who can ask the right question.

I, for myself, don’t have this amazing quality of asking remarkable questions (like most of us). You can always tell whether someone is clever by their answers but to know about wisdom, you will have to go by their questions. Normally, it’s not the answer that amuses me but the question. I don’t care how it’s answered, but the right question asked in the right way often points to its own answer and untangles a labyrinth of thoughts inside you that won’t ask for answers immediately.

At the same time, every question does not deserve an answer. You must have faced several interviews. The questions I fall silent upon every time are “why should we take you” or “where do you see yourself five years from now”. I mean what on earth should one answer apart from bragging oneself in front of the interviewer. But then, that’s the catch there.
Coming back to Questions, I recently encountered the most touted question ever: “I like someone who doesn't know I like her. How can I tell her?" I don’t know what made him think I would be eligible to answer that but then as I said the question is more important than the answer. I asked him to tell her the same thing, ask her the same question. Ask her how she would like to be told you love her. I still have to know whether that helped (Since he was bewildered and gutless at the same time, I doubt he ever asked).

So that’s where I leave things. It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers. Before doing anything, if you are sure why you are doing it and what is going to motivate you, the job is half done. Keep asking questions, that the only thing that will keep you from complacency.