Profundity

There must be an answer to every question. An answer that satisfies the curiosity of the questioner and the ego of the one giving the answer. The questioner wants to know the query is taken seriously while the one answering wants to know the response is respectfully accepted.

In a learning environment the questioner is generally the pupil and the one giving the answer is the teacher. Oftimes the teacher gives an answer the student doesn't understand. The question can be a legitimate attempt to learn, a tactic to stall the class time, or a means to embarrass the professor. The answer can be a genuine attempt at truth, a means of ridicule, or a red herring due to the inability of the respondent. If questions are legitimate, answers should be as well.

The fear of ridicule keeps questioners from being openly inquisitive. There are no "dumb questions" if the questioner doesn't know or understand the answer. In a group setting it is likely that more than one person has the same question but peer pressure keeps each of them from asking.


Answering questions seems to have its own problems. The person answering often feels compelled to give an answer even if they are unsure of the correctness of their response. For one who supposedly is in authority its humbling to admit you can't answer the query. It is a wise person who simply says "I don't know." If the questioner feels foolish asking a question because they think it a "dumb question", then to answer a "dumb question" with a "dumb answer" is more than foolish.


Ask questions when unsure. Answer questions when sure. Remembering

The quest for answers to the questions in life is not in the destination but in the journey that takes one there.