Why

adverb: for what reason; exclamation: used to express surprise or anger; noun: the reasons for something

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Why, I didn’t expect “why” to be this week’s word! Why did “why” come to me, I wonder? Ours is not to reason why, I suppose…

When my world was new and fascinating, I was a very curious child: both peculiar and inquisitive, before you ask. I used to ask “why?” constantly. Every time anyone said or did anything at all, I had to know why. Nana used to say “because why is a crooked letter, and you can’t straighten it”. From my perspective a capital y was two straight lines and not crooked at all. Of course I would query this, eventually forgetting my original question. In hindsight, that may well have been the idea. Seems a tad dismissive, doesn’t it? Though I must confess, when confronted with an extremely inquisitive child, I’ve no doubt that the incessant barrage of whys would become utterly exhausting after a while…

Why are so many people so averse to being asked “why”? Why do they deflect or avoid the question? Why do they sigh, or roll their eyes, or say ”behave”, or “shut up”, or “because why is a crooked letter, and you can’t straighten it”? Why is it so difficult to give a reason? Do they worry their reason will be perceived as ridiculous or selfish? Do they fear the potential for change that comes with new perspectives? Is it the chance they might have to do something that makes them hide from the question? Why is it not ours to reason why? Are we cattle, expected to follow another’s lead blindly, even when we believe there’s a better way? Surely knowing and understanding the reasoning behind something is the only way to make an informed decision or opinion about anything? Why deny us this?

Can you remember learning what “why” meant? I can’t. How would you explain such a fundamental piece of language to a young child? Why do we seem to just instinctively understand certain words and phrases once we reach a certain point in our development?

I may not know much – if anything at all – but I do know I’m only one of many who ask “why” at every turn, and children in particular generally go through a period of asking “why” constantly. Why? Why does every (or nearly every) person at some stage in their life feel compelled to know why? Why are we so drawn to motive? To reason? Why is “why” our favourite question? Why do we want to understand? Why are mysteries so compelling? Why do we spend hours driving ourselves mad trying to fathom the unfathomable? Or is that just me? Why can we not just let the world be?

Twenty-six questions is ample for one post, so I shan’t burden you with more. I’ll simply suggest that you enjoy the whys and wherefores of whatever interests you, along with your questions and your deflections. Most importantly, whatever else you do: don’t think too much!

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