Why / How

Write a short profile on each other,

I said to my students, dividing them into groups of two. What is your

angle; w

hat is

interesting

to you about this other person? Make this a conversational voyage of 

discovery

. How can we get to know this person in greater depth by the end of your profile story? Why should we care? Not just by asking a collection of facts, trivia, and biographic questions, but through a series of conversational questions that allow us to

really

 learn more about what makes this person tick...

A person is more than the sum of their birthdate, gender, style esthetic, music preferences, and Facebook friends forum.

One young gentleman was disgruntled at being pushed to articulate questions more targeted and specific than,

What school did you go to before here?

 and

What sports do you play?

How does asking somebody what sports they play help us get to know them?

 I ask.

It certainly gives us information

about

them...but does it help to

really

get to know them - what makes them a unique individual?

There are always different ways to divide up people's "lens for viewing the world."

Left brain/Right brain. Pragmatist/Idealist. Conservative/Progressive. Jennifer/Angelina.

I like to think in terms of

How

 and

Why.

 There are

How 

questions concerned with concrete process and procedures and appropriate methods for approaching a task. And there are

Why

 questions that are concerned with motivation and inquiries into people's reasons for making the choices they do. 

What show do you prefer:

CSI

 or

The Mentalist? 

Which one is the

How

 program? Which one is focused on the

Why

? What are your other favourite television programs - which ones, at their heart, are focused on

Process

 and which ones are focused on

Motivation?

 A simplistic query. But try dividing them into one of those two areas...

If

How

is the Craft, then

Why

 is the Art. They coexist. Ideally, they complement each other. But there is frequently a brutal prejudice in favour of

How-

type questions, particularly in raising and teaching children. Sometimes, it's a lot easier to teach somebody

How

 to do something then to explain precisely

Why

 they should do it in the first place.

I hate -

hate

 - when people ask questions about our daughter such as, 

"

Has she gotten to the dreaded 'Why' stage' yet?"

I hate it. One of the things I love about Childhood is that in those early years, before you are indoctrinated too deeply in the way you're

supposed  to do things

, you simply ask

Why-questions

 because you

want to know

. It's not a disrespect thing. It's simply a desire to

know

; an evolving of character and logic that is too-often shut down because

Why-questions

are frequently difficult to answer.

I often don't have good answers to

Why questions

.

Why questions

 should be conversation-starters; they begin a dialogue of back-and-forth discovery.

 Why questions

may lead to a better

How

 in the end. They frequently raise the question of whether there is need for a better

How. 

Why questions are disruptive, just as radical types of innovation are disruptive.

That is why certain types of people loathe

Why question-askers

so much - they disrupt accepted conventions and ways of doing things. They question the givens.

Regardless of what subject I am teaching -

Photography, Art, Filmmaking, Creative Nonfiction

 - the core important ideas share a common DNA with the ideas important to me as a parent. Atop the list is a desire to

push

our students and children to look

beyond

the

surface

 of what they see...to ask

Why-questions

 and to not apologize for asking them in a respectful, inquisitive manner. 

The right to ask a respectful question begins at birth. 

And also...

* To embrace the right to ask

Why

; to develop the self-respect to raise your voice in any circumstance and have the confidence to ask a

Why question of Anyone

.

* To look past the surface qualities of a photograph or work of art and try to interpret and understand what it 

represents

.

* To articulate in

specific terms what is

beautiful and unique

in anyone and anything...and to connect the relationship between Uniqueness and Beauty.

* To move past "

It's good/awesome

" and "

It's bad/lame

" evaluations. Develop a recognition of those microdetails that make something

unique.

Articulate

your preferences and opinions.

* To look for

Patterns

 and

Structure

 and

Meaning

 in the Mundane.

* To find the

Good in People

and the

Great in Life

.

___

People are more interesting than they oftentimes give themselves credit for. Especially when you start

looking

 for the details and patterns in their lives...

Anyone can learn

how

 to edit a video. So why don't more people make

interesting

movies? Because learning the How

doesn't automatically mean you've got something interesting to say. It's asking

Why

questions that get you to the interesting stuff. And those are the people that make the great Art, that make the great Films, that make the great Music, and that search for answers to questions such as

What can Science and Technology do to make our lives better?

Those

Why questions

are at the heart of every great inquiry, whether originating from a three-year old child or from a 60-year old scientist.

Why do I have to go to bed now, Daddy? Why? Why? Why am I supposed to go to bed now?

Well dear

, I say.

Umm, it's because the scientists say that's what you're supposed to do in order to be healthy.

(beat)

And also, because

I SAID SO

, you little pill! And the Narnian monsters are going to get you if you don't hop in bed

RIGHT NOW! Aahhh!

Roarrrrrr!

And I tackle her, and toss her in bed, and the giggling is loud.