I love when something for which I have deep conviction is expressed in a way that strikes me as an understatement. The understatement is almost always a gift which provides a simpler and more concise way of expressing a concept that I otherwise would pontificate about and thereby dilute the effective communication of the conviction. We are largely unconscious and therefore it is intuitively obvious that to tap into that for which we are otherwise unaware is contingent upon honest observation of patterns coupled with a fierce determination to improve questions.

I have become convinced two tools are preeminent in our journey as a species. one of those tools is fearlessly open minded and ever improving questions. All our knowledge, collectively, in the whole, is of course a drop in an ocean of what we don’t know. We’re swimming in a sea of the undiscovered and it is hard to see the additional insights because the unknown is by nature the unexpected. The unexpected is hard to see without exceeding commitment to an open mind and willingness to strive for better questions.

Perhaps better questions aren’t just a tool for me to have more material accumulation or celebratory notoriety. Maybe the best questions advance the soul of the whole creation. It could be that a really good question tends to be contagious and quickly become not just the question one is asking one’s own unconscious but a question “we”, a new band of explorers, are asking broadly and boldly of ourselves. If this were true then it’s likely the best questions would almost always initially generate ridicule and persecution — because a profound question would inherently feel threatening to the status quo and ego. I wonder how ready I am today to adopt a great question?