My Sunday Thought for 09182016: Why?

I first touched on the question of "why," back in October of 2013, with my post, Why Are We Here?

At that time I wrote, "I have come to a point in life where I think I have answered, for my own purposes, who, what, when, and where, of my life.  "How" is a moot point, as it either is or is not.  Yoda would be proud.  I think why it is or is not is much more important.  So, I am left with, 'Why am I?'  This is a question which has occupied me for almost forty-five years."  The question is still with me as I approach my 63rd birthday.  I have a feeling I will approach my 65th with a realization that why I am, is so much less important than the mere fact that, I am.

It's an unsexy, dirty business. It's not rocket science.

-- Richard Kinder

This isn't to say that "why I am" wasn't a question worth answering, it certainly was.  It's just that, in researching answers to many of life's questions we find the answers to be moot.  The question of why we are here isn't a mathematical equation, it isn't calculus.  Our reason for being isn't rocket science, yet we spend a good part of our lives asking "Who am I?" and "What is the meaning of life?"  For me, who I am I was not as important as finding out why I am.  Everyone who reads my work knows I am preoccupied with the question, "Why?"

“Asking ‘why’ is one of the most important strategies children have for connecting with their caregivers and learning about the world around them.”

Dr. Dawn Taylor, Psychologist, Penn State

From the time of our creation God endowed us with freedom of choice.  God made this evident when he warned Adam and Eve about the consequences of eating the forbidden fruit.  We are born without sin, but we are also born with the capacity to sin.  The choice is ours, as are the consequences.  Every choice we make has consequences, from who we elect to public office to the decisions those elected make, the consequences are our own making.  The official may have made a bad decision for us, but we are the ones who elected them.  Everything is a product of choice, and if we feel we didn't make the choice which put us in our poor circumstance, we are still in the circumstance because we have not made the choice to better it.

"The only problem with an opinion is that most people don't ask that key question that they once asked so frequently - “why?” Why do I hold this opinion? Why does it have merit? Why is this the best way?"

Matthew Sanderson, User Experience Developer

The key question which all of us must ask more frequently is, "why?"  We must ask this question before we make any decisions, especially those which may have an impact on our lives or the lives of others.  Since virtually everything we do in our lives has an impact on others or our environment, this means we should be asking it constantly.

If your life is shit and you've been quick to blame others for your circumstance, try getting to the true cause, the root cause, of why you are in the circumstance.  In my position as the Chaplain Program Liaison at a local medical center, I have the weekly delight of addressing folks enrolled in the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder clinic.  Each Sunday we discuss topics which revolve around two themes: "Choices & Consequences," and "Why?"  I choose these because they are so much part of each other; the "why" is generally found to be a consequence of a choice.  It is nigh impossible to find the root cause of our circumstance, our consequence, without asking, "Why?"

What I have found to have great meaning for the folks I discuss this with is an analytical approach called the "5 Whys of Root Cause Analysis."  The "5 Whys" was a technique developed by Sakichi Toyoda for Toyota Motors manufacturing methodologies, and is used to "explore cause-and-effect relationships underlying a particular problem."  The fact that it was developed in Japan evidences, for me, the Zen simplicity of the approach.  A good example is given here, and is the one I use at my meetings:  

You find lubricant on the floor, and leakage is an abnormal state. Now you have two choices – clean it up or ask why. Why is there lubricant on the floor? It leaked from the machine. Why is the machine leaking? Because the seal is damaged. Again, you can simply replace the seal or ask why again. Why is the seal damaged? Because there are metal shavings in the lubricant. Why are there metal shavings in the lubricant? Because the filter on the lubricant pump is damaged. Why is the filter damaged? Because it gets damaged by contaminants falling into the machine.

-- 5 Whys of Root Cause Analysis

I have a feeling that performing a mechanical analysis is, perhaps, a bit more finite than performing an emotional one, but if you continue asking the "why" of each answer, you will ultimately arrive at a conclusion that usually includes you as the ultimate answer.  After trying this technique a few times you will probably realize you can just shorten the process down to, "It's my fault.  I did it.  My bad decision."  The faster you learn to arrive at the obvious and much denied conclusion, the sooner you can begin working to change or mitigate the outcome, or prevent similar poor decisions in future.

But, what if the problem has to do with how you look?  What if the problem goes deeper than dieting, makeup, dress and behavior, things over which we have much control, and has to do with genetics?  What if God made us to be not one of what society defines as the beautiful people?  First of all, why are you listening to society?  Secondly, and I'm probably gonna burn for this, have you ever talked to one of the beautiful people?  I have found very few of them deep enough to carry on an intelligent conversation, especially about anything meaningful, like politics, finance, or religion.  If people can't like you for whom and what you are, you have a choice.  I have found that most non-shallow people have a deeper understanding of why we need to be more than what society expects of us.  Yes, this is why they're referred to as "deep."

If shallow people don't find your body type good looking, then look for non-shallow people. It's not rocket science.

-- Unknown

I wake up every morning, usually too damned early, and thank God I'm on this side of the dirt.  I praise the much needed rain, the warmth of sunshine, or the beauty which is snow in subzero weather.  When I think of my friends who have died too young, my dad having a stroke, my grandparents and other family no longer with us, the question of why I am is so so little consequence compared to the fact that I am.  I have vowed to love and be blessed by those I meet.  I have decided that wallowing in the self-pity of others is as worthless as wallowing in any of my own making.  I have vowed to try and lift them up or, failing that, to leave them behind with instructions of how to follow when they're ready.  I have vowed to live life and be happy in it.  God put us here... let's not waste the gift!

I leave you something to ponder, this Sunday:

Computers and rocket ships are examples of invention, not of understanding... All that is needed to build machines is the knowledge that when one thing happens, another thing happens as a result. It's an accumulation of simple patterns. A dog can learn patterns. There is no “why"; in those examples. We don't understand why electricity travels. We don't know why light travels at a constant speed forever. All we can do is observe and record patterns.

-- Scott Adams

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, and instructor. He is founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and author/editor of the Congregation's official blog site, "The Path," which offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination.