Why?
Do you ask this question often? I assume most of you will answer 'no'. As we grow up, we tend to stop asking 'why' to other people. When we were young, we asked everyone 'why'--Why does the sun shine? Why is cloud moving? Why can't I mix oil and water? Why is the Statue of Liberty blue? Why do cotton candy and sugar look so different even though they are basically the same?
Why? has a magic power. It does not simply tell you the right answer, but explain you the entire logic behind something. Compared to other questions like 'when', 'where', or 'what' which simply redirect you to the final answer, 'why' makes you wiser. It holds your hand and leads you to the final answer so that you can do the same for other person in the future. Probably all of you will have this kind of memory. You ask Why? to your teacher, parents, friends, or someone else and once they enlighten you, you are eager to do the same for other people who may ask you the same Why?
Why? has been a key for humanity's incredible innovations too. Why? from Issac Newton led to the discovery of the law of universal gravitation. Why? from Alexander Fleming led to the creation of penicillin. Why? from Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel led to the invention of women's suit, and so on. Once this magic question had risen, things couldn't go back to the time of ignorance and indifference.
But why do we stop asking Why? at some point? This has been my No.1 curiosity for a very long time. And I have several hypotheses which I aim to share with you today.
First hypothesis, people feel like this question is somewhat embarrassing. Perhaps they may think that asking Why? reveals their ignorance. Worries about 'how will others view me' may work as a bar that stops people from asking Why?
Second hypothesis, people do not care the logic behind but the exact final answer. Their lives are busy and there are tons of things to do right now, so why bother the logic behind something? Knowing the final answer ASAP can sound much better for them.
Third hypothesis, people know too much to ask Why? about things around them. They learned many things in schools and books, they know most of the logic behind the things around them, so they are no longer curious of things.
Final hypothesis, grownups have capability to find the answer for Why? by themselves. They no longer have any reason to ask other people. They can now search for it on Google, go to the library, or study that field by themselves instead of finding and going to someone who can help them.
I still do not have my concrete answer. Well, I am not even sure if there can be a concrete answer, but I am sure that you will have your own answers in mind after reading this essay. So, could you please inspire me with your shiny ideas and hypotheses about the reason for WHY?