Why don't you ASK?

A child asks thousands of questions. Why is the sky blue? Why do ants move in a line? Can I go to moon? Why are we celebrating Pongal? Where does rice come from? Why am I not there in yours and mother's wedding photos ? Won't my baby brother who is in the womb suffocate? What is time?.............the list is endless. But that is how the child learns.

As we grow older, we become progressively reluctant to ask questions. I have always felt it has more to do with our Educational system which discourages out of the box thinking by focusing on discipline. An inquisitive child is considered to be nuisance and put down by the teachers with a heavy hand. As the child grows up, there is a reinforcement that it doesn't pay to be inquisitive. When teachers make fun of you, friends mock you and parents dismiss your questions, your curiosity dies a natural death. Parents are equally guilty. They do not create an atmosphere in the house where the child can ask legitimate questions. Most of the time it is dismissed with a curt "You are not old enough to understand this" or "It is like that. It is the tradition and you cannot question it" type of answers. Is there any wonder that the child grows up accepting things blindly and losing his ability to question or think out of the box.

The denouement comes at the work place. It is an exact replica of the school. Initiatives are frowned upon, questioning the conventional wisdom considered to be taboo and again no satisfactory clarifications are given to genuine doubts of the employee. Added to this is the ego of the employee. His desire not to show others that he does not know a particular subject, lest others consider it a weakness. Over a period of time, not asking questions becomes a habit. The end result? The person stops learning and that results him or her not improving as an individual.

I notice this a lot when I teach my MBA students. All of them are in the age group of 25-45 and employed. Hardly anyone raises a doubt or ask a pertinent question. This leads to an absence of debate, suppression of one's ideas, a healthy discussion and sharing of differing viewpoints.

It is said 'Ignorance is bliss' but I cannot accept that statement. One needs to grow continuously as a person. You learn throughout life till you die. Even death is a learning process. And the best way to learn is to ASK people who possess the knowledge. It is the cheapest and the best way of acquiring wisdom.

Shed your Ego, do not be discouraged by people who put you down when you clarify doubts, go ahead and keep on Asking. It will broaden your thinking and a whole new world will be open to you.