WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY and HOW
Knowing the answers will help you in school. Knowing how to ask questions will help you in life.- Warren Berger
Questioning, a life skill: Questioning is the ability to organise our thinking around what we don’t know. This is an essential skill today. Doubting the existence of something is always a good habit, as in doing so, we are led to question, and by questioning, we arrive at the truth.
Questioning is the fountainhead of knowledge. In the early days, people wondered as to who created the world and arrived at the simplified explanation that one was created by a supernatural being. But as more people searched further for the how and why, more civilised our society got. We questioned why some animals resemble some others, and got the answer that all animals have evolved from a common ancestor. We proved that we are not created but we have evolved over 3.5 billion years. All the knowledge we possess is the product of questioning. Questioning is not the exclusive right of the police detectives, it is a universal skill. Your calibre of questions is assessed more critically than the answers provided by parents, teachers and friends.
Six teachers: Questioning gives you answers that will make you resourceful in science, maths, geography and even in various languages. WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY and HOW are the six powerful teachers.
For instance, have you ever taken time to observe your surroundings or the sky? Especially in the twilight and night sky, have you noticed the four stars in the early evening sky? Have you wondered what they are? Indeed , these are not stars, they are planets, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. You know that the brightest one is Venus, but have you questioned why Venus is so bright? And have ever wondered what that red planet is? The red one is Mars, and it appears red as it has iron oxide on its surface.
Questioning can lead to understanding delightful facts about our world, and it can be a source of much wonder and joy, giving us contentment and pride. This curiosity further motivates you to ask more questions, which is where we summon our six teachers.
The art of questioning: The art of questioning can be mastered with practice. You may just listen to the questioning of well-known personalities on television. Questions must be constructed and asked logically in such a way that the motive of what you want to know is communicated to the person being questioned. One must also question keeping in mind niceties and the sensitive nature of certain information and questions.
Basic questions: Questioning has changed the history of humankind. Concepts like gravity, earth’s rotation on its orbit and revolution around the sun were all the answers arrived at by people who relentlessly asked questions about it and sought answers. Similarly, if you begin questioning your life too can change. Some of the life changing questions that you should ask are: Who am I? Am I related with people around me? What do I want to do and get from my life? How can I contribute to my world, school or my house? What are my strengths and weaknesses? Where am I? and Where do I want to reach? Such questions will help you to change the course if necessary and keep you on the right course.
Question everything: He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. If you question everything, you will not believe in many things that you believe in today. Questioning is the mother of knowledge. Never stop questioning.
