B. SO WHAT'S THE QUESTION?

If it's true that life is a series of question marks, what are the questions? Philosophers are good at listing them. Immanuel Kant (German philosopher in the 19th century) listed three:

What can I know for sure?

What should I do for sure? and

What can I hope for sure?

Alfred North Whitehead (British philosopher in the 20th century) suggested four:

What is true?

What is Beautiful?

What is good? and

What is useful?

The task of listing the questions doesn't need to be as stuffy as it sounds. I rather like the more contemporary approach of Alan Watts (Episcopal priest turned pop psychologist) who says the questions are:

Who started it?

Are we going to make it?

Where are we going to put it? and

Who's going to clean up?

For me, L. Robert Keck has put the questions pointedly: 

(1) Is there meaning and purpose to this large and long journey of human evolution? 

(2) Is there something special, about this particular time in history? 

(3) If this is such a transition time in history, what is it that is being transformed, and 

(4) How do we individually fit into this time in history? 

Well, however you frame them, the questions are there and life seems to be an opportunity to hammer some of the questions into exclamation points.

We'll find that that's a lot easier to say than to do and we mustn't be put off by the questions to which answers don't come easily (or at all.) It's been said that "It's better to know some of the questions than all of the answers."

Your life is a question, asked by God and phrased by the world. What do you think the question is?

NEXT TIME: 'TIS A PUZZLEMENT


EXTENDED READING IF YOU'RE INTERESTED

I have found L. Robert Keck's book, Sacred Eyes to be a helpful book of "orientation" to Reality. He calls it "An invitation to view the entire human journey and your own life with sacred eyes." (Knowledge Systems Inc, l992).


- TOOLS AND APPROACHES - B



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