When Albert Einstein was 16, he asked himself what would happen if he tried to catch a beam of light. What seems like a stupid question leads to one of our world’s topmost discoveries. After ten years of research, Einstein finally came up with his theory of special relativity. The theory that transformed science and leads to significant breakthroughs!
We today live in a society where asking questions is looked down upon. We fear being called stupid or dumb for asking questions that seem basic or what we’re expected to know already. However, silence seems like the easier option, although it isn’t the right one. The inherent nature of humans is the need for social acceptance and belonging. Therefore, asking questions out of the ordinary can be seen as an act that distances us from others. “There are naïve questions, tedious questions, ill-phrased questions, questions put after inadequate self-criticism. But every question is a cry to understand the world. There is no such thing as a dumb question.” -Carl Sagan.
We’re so focused on being fashionable and interesting, but we forget how we can be wise if we don’t know the basics proper enough? It is intact more essential to ask tedious questions as you never knew what new information or perspective you might gather. Once we reach the point where we feel like we know everything, it is important to restart right at the basics to gain a newer outlook and the necessary growth. Instead of feeling small about not knowing, one should see the person with a more open-minded approach. Only the one who asks questions has accepted that you can’t know everything, and there is always room to learn and understand.
Sometimes what may sound like a stupid or out-of-place question can make the person refrain from voicing their doubts. At the same time, it is possible that these fascinating questions can spark a new idea or different route altogether. It is always the stupid questions that lead to self-improvement. Sometimes asking questions can make the person in front of you feel disrespected or ridiculed, which is why we control our curiosity.
So go ahead and ask all you want, stop trying to sound correct or intelligent, for you don’t know which question can spark what innovations. After all, Newtown wasn’t the first to have an apple fall on his head. Instead, he was just the first to question why apples fell?
