When my first daughter was three, she entered her “why” phase — asking “why” about every little thing. It started off cute, became annoying, then even more annoying, and finally a sort of white noise. But along the way I realized that this line of inquiry was ultimately revealing and illuminating.
One such occurrence: the day was a bit chilly and when she saw me putting on socks she asked me: “Daddy, why are you wearing socks?”
I answered: “Because my feet are cold and I want them to feel nice and warm”
Without pause she asked: “Why do you want them to feel nice and warm?”
“Because I don’t want to be shivering all day”
“Why don’t you want to be shivering all day?”
“Because I want to be able to think straight!”
“Why do you want to think straight?”
“Because I want to be in control of my life!”
Finally satisfied (or bored), she left the room.
And so I finally realized that the true purpose – the WHY – behind a pair of socks was to help one be in control of their life.
Moral of the story: ask why, then ask it again and again and again. At first the answers may be surface level, and then they will be more salient, and slowly but surely, they will lead towards… the truth.
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