question, as long as you can get away with it

This morning, on a walk in the dark, the moon was shrouded with clouds once again. But there was a large question mark being illuminated.

i call myself the grand inquisitor.

i'm not at all squeamish about dredging up all sorts of questions for family, friends and people i don't even know.
My mother tells me that when i was a toddler, just starting to talk, i would ask complete strangers the most awkward questions and get her involved in conversations she didn't want to have. i, of course, loved the interchange.

My mother, who was always the shy retiring type, felt immediately exposed by her upstart child, she didn't like asking questions and didn't want anyone asking her any questions. But i was the opposite, i just wanted to know about everything and wouldn't hesitate to ask.

i still do.

Close friends, say "uh" "oh," "watch out, here come the questions."

i'm completely, unabashedly, curious about all human beings. i want to know their stories, i want to know how they make decisions, i want to know their histories. i guess it is why i majored in Anthropology (the study of man). i know that i probe too deeply for some, but it makes me feel more connected to them, especially when i can understand them.

In lines, while waiting for something, i look upon it as an opportunity to meet people, and never get frustrated having to wait. i'll start the conversation going by saying something like, "Are you in a rush today?" they usually answer "yes" and off i go.

i wonder about the people who wait on me in the grocery stores, gas stations, post offices and department stores. i look in peoples cars, through their open windows, i look into any and all their eyes and try to make a small connection. i just love interacting with people.

i've had the most wonderful experiences asking people i don't know questions. i've left lines with the biggest smile on my face sometimes laughing so hard i can't start the car until i've finished chuckling.

i wonder about people i see living on the street. How did they get there, are they mentally impaired, what do their mothers know about where they are living? Especially that last question. How do their mothers cope, knowing their child is living on the street? What will she do if she doesn't know, and then finds her child? Oh! The Questions.

Which brings me to the point of this, i use questions to request information. i use questions to augment my knowledge, resolve my doubt and solve problems. The information i receive, by way of an answer, helps me to determine further courses of action.

Have they resolved any confusion i may have concerning them or their proposals?

What do i now know with certainty?

Not much you might respond.

But like many famous scientists, i question everything until i find the answer.

My desire to question impacts my entire life. i don't easily accept answers, or condemn insincerity, stupidity, greed or the treachery of human beings, instead i continue to question. i ask why, over and over. i want others to ask why.

And that is the point of this blog

question, question, question

for that is the road to peace not war.