Do you remember as a child you would ask your parents or teachers question after question just wanting to know and understand the world around you – so much so that you would send your parents into an existential orbit?
Maybe your parents were blunt and deadpan honest or maybe they told you fairytales and urban legends, either way you wondered about the world around you. Why it wasn’t the best idea to stick fruit loops up your nose, and if it really was a giant in the sky falling over to create thunder.
And then the kids in class would ask you questions and you’d make up stories to answer them too. Sometimes it all just rolled off the tongue, you just did it on the fly, the way you make up the storyline in the games you play as a child in the school yard.
And then sometimes you were told to be quiet. You’re told to learn by trusting that what you are being taught is truth and absolute. Don’t ask questions. Have faith. Do as you’re told.
But.
WHY?
WHAT IF THERE WERE NO QUESTIONS?
I mean, can you imagine if you were never again allowed to ask questions, not even one? What if the phrase – if you have to ask you’ll never know (whatever the hell that means) became law?
What do you think would happen?
Could you imagine if that Macca’s worker was unable to say – would you like fries with that? I mean what if you really did want fries? What if you didn’t know you wanted them until you were asked? Could you imagine the consequences of not having fries with your meal, when you really wanted them? You might feel a little ripped off.
Or what if you couldn’t ask the officer if that was a pistol in his pocket or if he was just pleased to see you? What if you just never knew? What if you just had to assume? (which we both know makes an ass out of u and me – yeah there you go, I said it. Don’t shoot me!) I mean, he might be about to take you out, as in blow your face off, but you go in for the hug. How would that end?
Just ask yourself that, (no not if you want fries or what is in the officer’s pocket). Just think about what would life be like if we were never allowed to ask Why? (And then write that down).
Consider how things would be as a child. Would you learn anything? Would you even know what you wanted? Would you even know how to get it if you did know what you want?
How would you be able to question authority? Who would rule the world?
Would anyone be able to teach you anything, if there were no questions?
‘You shouldn’t blindly accept a leaders advice. You’ve got to question a leader on occasion.’
– Richard Branson
NOT QUESTIONING THINGS CAN BE DANGEROUS
If you are being taught something and you are asked not to question it, just accept it, don’t you think that there is something wrong with that? Isn’t there a problem in our society when questioning the way things are is considered being disruptive, rather than being curious or wanting to learn?
I mean no one should simply accept the mankini without wondering what the fuck is going on there right?
If we don’t question the world around us, how can we have a better understanding of it? If we don’t question our own motives, how can we be sure we understand those of others? If we don’t question where we’re going, how do we know when we get there? If we don’t question the status quo how would we ever create songs like – ‘Another Brick In The Wall?’ and how would we ever be able to change the world? Make our mark?
You should never accept things the way they are, especially when you don’t agree, and even when you do, without questioning them. Even if it is seen as being disruptive, sometimes you got to shake things up, you got to get out of your own comfort zone and take other people out of theirs. Sometimes people just go through the motions and they forget that maybe there are other answers. That maybe things have changed. That there are other approaches and other points of view.
Make people question their own beliefs. Question yours. Question the way things are done and why.
And then, ask yourself, as a creative, as an entrepreneur, how can you be disruptive? How can you question authority? How can you question the way things are and how can they be changed? How can you do things differently?
And what can you do to make a fucking difference?
‘Don’t just teach your children to read….teach them to question what they read. Teach them to question everything.’ – George Carlin.
QUESTION YOUR EDUCATION
You should be questioning the value of your education and is it getting you where you want to go? In school and in life.
You should be questioning your teachers, your mentors, your peers. Whether it be a matter of asking how something was done, to why they have that belief system, to why aren’t my Facebook Ads working? (Just kidding. Don’t fucking ask that!)
For instance, in the classroom every lesson and every subject should be open for discussion. It should NEVER be a matter of – ‘this is just how it is,‘ especially in sex education. I mean how are you going to know where to put…er…nevermind.
Anyway, carrying on, you need to go out into the world like a wide eyed child discovering it for the first time. Open minded and brave. It’s the only way to learn. It’s one of the first things we do as children to learn how to be more creative. It’s how we opened ourselves to new experiences, it’s how we discovered the things we love, how we learned about the world.
As an entrepreneur, as a creative, as both or either, questioning what you are doing, where you are going, how you are going to get there and why, should be an almost daily practise. Much like asking yourself do you really need to look at yourself in the mirror before you step out the door after scurrying to get dressed in the dark.
(The answer is yes, yes you do!).
And while we’re talking about mirrors, let’s not forget that you also need to –
QUESTION YOURSELF
So first, who the fuck are you, exactly?
What are your motives? What do you do and what do you love? Even what do you hate?
Who do you love? Who are your people, your community, your niche?
What do you really want?
Are you giving it all you’ve got or are you playing a half assed game?
Are you simply doing what needs to be done, or are you going above and beyond?
Are you living a life that is in line with your dreams and purposes – or somebody else’s?
Did you learn anything from that mistake you made, did you see where things went wrong or where things went right or how things can improve?
Have you yet embraced your true creative nature?
If things have stalled, maybe ask yourself why? If you don’t believe you are creative, again, ask yourself why not?
What made you stop creating or what is blocking you from being more creative? Or even why did you begin in the first place? What nurtures your creative spirit and do you seek it and immerse in it on a consistent basis?
What makes you insanely happy? What is your purpose and what is your true passion?
Do you like soft tacos or hard tacos?
WHY QUESTION?
Why not?
You want to know something, then ask. You don’t like something or something strange happens, ask – ‘what the fuck?’ You don’t understand something, ask – ‘what the hell are you talking about?’ If you’re ever feeling lost and disillusioned or can’t make a decision, ask yourself – what is all this for? Why do you do the things you do and is it getting you to where you want to go?
Basically, if you need an answer, you know what to do. Pretty straight forward stuff which I know you already know.
When you use questioning as an active tool for discovery, you may find that what it leads to could be so far from what you first thought, could take you on a different path you may have never considered, that could lead you to your true calling. It may be that you will question why you ever did things the old way, and how you can embrace the new.
Or it could strengthen your resolve.
Questioning the world around you can simply be a prompt for a new piece of work, a new marketing approach, a new storyline, a better understanding of the universe and yourself. It’s one of the first things you can do to open up the doors to your imagination, unleash that creative beast (what does yours look like?) and take you on a journey of discovery.
It may even allow you to enter The Matrix, and learn about the ways of perception.
You may even want to ask yourself – is this reality or is this just a dream?