Blog 421 – 10.01.2016

As small children we were so curious. Mama or Daddy may have been the first word out of our mouths but the one we most often used as small children was “Why?” And we were seldom satisfied with short pat answers that only causes us to ask again, “Why?” Usually adults grew tired and impatient with our barrage of why(s) and shut us down with a harsh remark like, “Because I said so.” We learned to quit asking why and just accept the simple answers they gave us.

In my work in Quality Assurance Quality/Control Control I was taught when investigating a problem to ask why repeatedly, to drill down to the true root cause for only then can you even think about correcting a problem. One of my favorite quotes is from Eric Sevareid, a long time CBS journalist, “Most of our problems are caused by our solutions.” When we settle for the easy or surface answers to the question why we usually come up with a quick fix that creates an even bigger problem. We may not even be aware that we are causing more problems with our fixes. These easy fixes are really only “knee jerk” reactions to the symptoms of the real problem.

I think the drug industry and by that I mean both the legal and the illegal drug industry is a good example. We think we have a problem so we take a drug with a prescription, over the counter, or from a friend and we may feel better for a while but at what cost? Often the side effects are worse than the original complaint. This is not good medicine, good business, or even good sense and yet we continue to believe there is a “magic pill” for everything. And someone seems to always be there to sell us one.

We don’t even ask why once most times.  I think it is because we were taught as children that the adults have all the answers and we should not question just shut up (or be be quiet if you prefer) and do as we are told. Religion says we have the answer. Even science, whose whole reason for being is supposed to be to test and prove theories with trials, with blind studies, to make sure they get it right, is often nothing more than another religion. Scientists can be as devoted to unproven theories as any religious, or political fanatic. You do know, Sports Fans, that the term fan comes from fanatic. We are all fans of someone or something. I am a fan of yours and hope you will be my fan too.

I tried very hard to be an atheist for about twenty years questioning everything I had been taught about God as a child. I quit being His fan but I changed my mind again some years back and think, believe if you will, there is a Higher Power, behind everything who actually is everything. But don’t worry that I am going to try to sell you on my particular angle on God. What you believe or think is just as valid as anything I have discovered in my travels. All I’m saying is don’t settle for the pat answers, the quick answers to the deep why(s) that come to you. Love, God, the Universe is too big to fit in any box. That little verse that haunts my imagination most and comes to me often is , “God is all in all.” In you, in me, in everyone, in everything.

If you are asking why, there is an answer but look inside and go deep for that is where you will find it, I think. What do you think?

Your friend and fellow traveler,
David White