The Enlightening Answers in the Question

        I found another, thought-provoking quote to share, this week.

        Well, it might not be all that thought-provoking to you, but it has had me thinking, so maybe it can get you thinking, through me...which might be saying I'm the thought-provoker...

        Never mind.  Let's just get on with it, shall we?

It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.

~ Eugene Ionesco

Okay Eugene, what did you mean by that?
Are *my* questions enlightening?
Do I need to answer in the form of a question?
Is not receiving the answer enlightening enough?

        Okay, okay... seriously, though!  How is it that a question can enlighten, but the answer can't?
I remember learning about the idea that those who teach children - parents, school teachers, other adults in a child's life - need to understand that above anything else they can or will teach, the very most important thing, is a hunger for learning.  Kinda goes back to that old adage referring to whether to give someone a fish... if all you do is feed them, they'll never learn how to feed themselves.  If they never learn how to feed themselves, how on earth will they ever help others down the line (such as their own children)?

        I was given a very good start regarding education, as some things go.  My mother was incredibly intelligent, if unable to express it fully due to some issues she had, which I've described before.  She felt very strongly that my misfit upbringing needed to have as much knowledge and learning crammed into it as possible... and I grew up a polymath, loving to learn all kinds of things!  As a child growing up during those years, I was among the first to receive valid, decent-quality learning through a large variety of things such as television and other, non-traditional methods at home, as well as going on to enjoy learning in school and being a fairly decent student.

          Hopefully I've made my point, regarding my deep appreciation for learning and knowledge.  This quote, therefore, is fascinating to me!  In school (at least in my experience), the typical, traditional direction things go is that we are crammed full of answers, and then given questions to see which answers have stuck.  If we have the right answers, then we are rewarded, usually with good grades.  If we do not have the right answers, we are given some form of negative consequence, typically what are considered "low" or "bad" grades, or being forced to repeat the class, if the grades are low enough it is clear that very few of the answers actually did stick.  Very rarely does the situation go the other way around.

        So what does Eugene Ionesco mean, then?  I can't help but read this quote, "It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question", with an image coming to mind of some stereotypical, mountaintop, Zen practice wherein the "Master" would pose somewhat cryptic puzzles and the "Student" would then try to work out the solutions.  It just so happens that this idea has always captivated me, due in part to some of the influences I received through my mother, so I'm actually enjoying this whole topic. 

And guess what?  I'm actually going to get to an answer!

Or a question?  I'm not sure... it's all kind of confusing, isn't it?

        If we think about it, we might realize that when a question comes from a source that hasn't tried to shove information into our brains, only to make us seem more qualified as community members, the question seems to take on a different kind of meaning.  For example, one day I was helping a young friend learn to cook, and rather than tell her what kind of dish to get to melt butter in the microwave (yes, folks, I'm one of those people who uses a microwave - gasp!), I let her figure it out by asking her *why* a certain kind of dish is used.  I explained why metal is not a good choice, as well as certain kinds of other materials; then I went on to teach her how to identify dishes one can safely and appropriately choose.  

        At first she was looking at me like I was some kind of nutty adult, trying to figure out why, instead of just telling her what to do, I was making her figure it out.  In my mind, it was more about helping her learn to think about it, because I'm efficient that way - I was interested in teaching her, more than just having her help me get the job done the quickest.  Sure, she would have learned how to make the recipe, but would she learn how to *read* a recipe?  Would she understand measurements?  Would she be able to make things in the future, on her own steam?  I was only to be with her for a short time, and I wasn't sure if she would have the chance to learn them in the future, so it meant a lot to me that she understand the various facets of the experience, rather than just getting the job done.

        In this way, I suppose the answer to the question of why the question is more enlightening than the answer (Still with me?)...is about the fact that when asked properly and in the right context, the question is the part that makes us contemplate answers, and simply being fed answers does nothing but train us how to be fed answers... in my opinion anyway.  Since I love to ponder things, I therefore love the idea of learning how to process information, and not just learn facts or instructions; I also love the idea of teaching others how to thoughtfully consider things, so that they may not just consume the proverbial fish, but may love the fishing, and the sharing of the experience with others who might also be inspired to enjoy continuing the process!

        There you go.  Perhaps you also now understand why the PB Project has been focused on making us all think in various ways... not just here in the posts, but also in the posts on the PB Facebook Community Page.  I often get comments on how people appreciate that they have an inspiration that gives them a chance to think in ways they might have not done, and I could not be happier to receive that kind of feedback!  From the posts, last year, connected to Christine Morgan's book,  "Motivational Mondays", to the seemingly random questions I've posed on the Facebook Page, the answers by which I am as entertained and encouraged as are those who answer them, it appears that I love creating the occasion to ponder as much as participants love to do them!  That really makes my heart smile at such a wonderful connection we all share!  So thank you for making this project such a beautiful opportunity for all of us!

        Better days ahead, my friends!