Persistent questioning and healthy inquisitiveness

Wondering leads to learning.

I recently saw this quote by Gandhi, "Persistent questioning and healthy inquisitiveness are the first requisite for acquiring learning of any kind."

What types of persistent questions are we asking to gain understanding?

Typically…

·         What

·         Why

·         Who

·         When

·         Where

·         How

Your basic questions for information and problem solving, the “5 W’s” and how.

I think all of those inquisitive questions could begin with “I wonder…”  Especially what, why, and how.  Who, when and where are probably part of a hypothesis (the inquisitive question) but the first three are the main drivers.

Just think. 

Where would the medical community be without people asking, “How can we cure (name a disease)?”  What about the environmental folks asking, “Why is this happening?”  How cool is it when the artistic community asks, “What happens when we put these elements together?”

It’s the wonderers, the dreamers, the people that are persistently questioning, that are advancing things in this world. 

If you know someone who fits this category, encourage them. 

Many times, these people tend to be a little quirky.  They may not fit into the box that society tries to categorize them as.  If someone is exhibiting healthy inquisitiveness, let them work outside of the box.  That’s where new ideas are found.

Let’s not crush the spirit of the wonderer, they could be the next Benjamin Franklin! He invented the stove, bifocals, and the lightning rod, among other things.  To bring it to more modern times, the wonderer may be the next Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey or Jerin James.

Whether the persistent questioner is interested in math, science, technology, art, music, food, or humanitarian missions, we need those people to wonder and to enjoy the freedom to explore their healthy inquisitiveness.

Yes, wondering leads to learning. 

Hopefully, what the wonderer has learned, they will share with others.  For it is only by this method that we, humanity, can truly benefit by changing for the positive and encouraging others to do the same.