Today I was typing a blog and accidentally typed “questions” when I meant to type the word “quest.” That made me think about my deconstruction and how many times during this quest, I have been criticized just for asking questions. Like today, I asked whether anyone had read the book I’m reading and was criticized by a professor for asking the wrong questions or having the wrong opinions. Other times, I was more directly question doctrine and beliefs and that often evoked an even stronger response.
I grew up in a tradition that didn’t like questions, unless they helped solidify the point the presenter was making. Anything that ventured outside the lines of the belief system was dangerous and considered too provocative to spend any real time on. Because of this, and maybe because of my reaction to this control, I find myself asking questions almost constantly now.
The thing I discovered this morning was that quest was buried in the questions.
So, what is questioning and what is it not?
Questioning is not to cause division. When we ask questions, it is usually because we want a greater understanding or more unity. Generally, I don’t think people want to be divisive. But there is something about truth and awareness that nag at us to uncover what is really so. We have a sense that we should journey to find what is true and we won’t really be unified or at peace until we find it. And the best chance of finding it is through questions.
Questions are also not to disorient. It may seem confusing to someone that is certain about everything and wants to promote a specific doctrine. But to the person genuinely on a quest for greater clarity, our certainty must occasionally be put on the stand to answer some questions.
Questions are also not because we are doubting. It is actually the opposite. We ask questions because we have hope that there are better answers. The quest is for things like understanding and clarity and authenticity. We are hoping to evolve beyond the stagnant pool of our own conclusion and discover a better way to proceed.
When the journeyer asks, “what’s over there,” it is not simply because they are dissatisfied with their current situation. It is because they have found that questions, at their root, are about a quest.
A quest for new life.
A quest for new understanding.
A quest for new direction.
Let’s keep asking questions and stay on the quest (journey) until…well, until forever.
Be where you are, be who you are,
Karl Forehand
(My book Being: A Journey Toward Presence and Authenticity is about a quest for being. It is available on Amazon and Barns and Noble. It also has a companion guide called The Being Journey for individual or group studies)
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