Daily Jots

Thought of the Day:
“The answers you get depend upon the questions you ask.”
Thomas Kuhn

Thinking Outside of the Box:
I had several reactions to that quote. One, I must confess, must have come from my baser personality, because I couldn’t help the thought that ran through my mind: That sounds like a perfect justification for a lie by omission. To many people, that is exactly the rationale they use for telling a partial truth. And in some instances, I suppose it is even appropriate. Telling someone their new outfit is really nice when it is the most hideous thing you have ever seen, is a lie by omission, but it is an understandable one.

I think the important thing to take from this quote is we can be as “deep” as we wish. We can ask questions of life, of others, of ourselves, and even of God, if we are prepared to delve that deep. The K.I.S.S. theory works fine for computers (Keep It Simple, Stupid) but it isn’t such a good way to build a theology or philosophy to live by.

Asking the right questions takes a lot of time and wisdom. Wisdom to know what questions to ask, in what order, and of course, knowing who to ask. Time because it takes a lot of that to get that wisdom.

Life is a circle. It is time, questions, wisdom, more time, more questions, more wisdom and then more time, more wisdom and more questions. We will find the answers; some of them perhaps in the next life. Oh, we will luck out. Some will be answered next week, next year, or in the next decade. Others won’t. Perhaps God Himself will answer some of them directly in the next life.

I only know that we will know what we need to know, when we need to know it. I am content with that.

Some Parting Thoughts:
“Before you get your questions answered you have to get them asked.”
Bill Farr

“The Lord tells us: ‘I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ In these few words he gives a command and makes a promise. Let us do what he commands so that we may not blush to covet what he promises and to hear him say on the day of judgment: ‘I laid down certain conditions for obtaining my promises. Have you fulfilled them?’ If you say: ‘What did you command, Lord our God?’ he will tell you: ‘I commanded you to follow me. You asked for advice on how to enter into life. What life, if not the life about which it is written: With you is the fountain of life?’”
St. Augustine

“One who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; one who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.”
Chinese Proverb

“Always the beautiful answer who asks a more beautiful question.”
e.e. cummings (I would have thought it was Yoda!)

“Once you start to question your life you get to a higher level of awareness. It’s like turning a light on–voila you see you have choices and choices are sacred.”
Naomi Judd

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