Principles of Discovery, Part 15
Ask Questions
This seems to be a very simple principle of discovery, but you would be surprised at how overlooked it is, perhaps even with yourself. The problem with the discovery of truth is that if the seeker isn’t asking questions and seeking the answer to such questions he is not going to discover much.
I used to think that most people were like me and had a lot of questions they wanted answered but what brought home to me that most do not ask questions until some authority directs them to was an interesting experience.
In my younger days, when I was a bit naïve, I was teaching a Sunday School class. Part of the class was covering the Second Coming of Christ so I thought I would ask a question to the class of about 30 people. Here was the question:
“Let us suppose that the Second Coming had just occurred and Jesus himself was here and you were in his presence. You can ask him any question you desire. What would you ask?”
To my astonishment not one hand went up. There were several in the class I thought were quite spiritual and assumed they were curious like me, but their hands did not budge.
After a moment of uncomfortable silence, I picked on one of the more intelligent members. “Surely you would have something you would like to ask Jesus,” I said.
He was silent. He couldn’t think of anything.
Then I singled out a female who was a dedicated member of the church. “This would be the greatest opportunity people have had for 2000 years. Isn’t there anything you would ask him?”
She thought a moment and replied, “I suppose I could ask him how our family could improve on our Monday night family activities.”
I gazed on in astonishment. Here in a class of thirty or more people this was the only question anyone could think of. This was the beginning to a personal awakening for me as to how little curiosity there is among the rank and file.
So now I throw the question out to the group, who I hope are much more curious than orthodox religious people. Suppose you had a chance to talk with the Christ, God, a Master or higher being who had access to all the mysteries. Name three questions you would ask.
(We let this assignment sink in for a day)
Great questions. You are definitely several steps above the Sunday School class I mentioned.
Here are several questions I liked.
I’ll start with my favorite and in doing this I should in no way diminish any other question asked. There were many very good ones that we just will not have time to cover.
Here’s the one that gets the gold star.
Do you need my help, and if you do, what is the best way I can help?
The natural inclination is to take the opposite approach and ask God to help us and tell us about ourselves and tell us what to do.
This person comes up with the interesting question as to whether or not God, or the higher lives, need our help. Maybe they don’t need us, but if they do then what kind of help do they need? Is it possible that what they need from us is much different than we suppose?
What makes this question different is that most people would not even consider asking it. Why? Because many feel that God is beyond needing help of any kind. The reader questioned orthodoxy here and in doing this he is going against the grain, and going against the grain will lead to knowledge if a person is open and receptive.
Every life in the universe needs help from other lives higher and lower in some way. Seeking out another life and actually asking if help is needed will manifest the love of God.
His other two questions were also very good. I’ve written quite a bit about them, but one of these questions would make for a good audio presentation in the future.
How can I have your constant presence with me?
How can I tell if what I’m “hearing” inside from the spirit is my inner self, or the devilish self? Or, how can I be more “in tune” with the spirit, and know that it is the true spirit that’s communicating to me at that moment?
Here is another interesting question:
How is it possible that anything exists and why?
This is a question that is most mysterious in my mind. I would word it this way. “How is it that anything exists at all?” If only one rock existed in the whole universe it would be amazing and perplexing enough, but every possibility exists.
We know that something exists out there because we experience it. Descartes thought long and hard upon this and came up with Cogito, ergo sum or “I think therefore, I am.”
We know we are experiencing being here, and that there is such a thing as form, thought and existence, so our real questions must circulate around what we perceive to be reality. How the foundations of reality came to be is a thing I have never even seen an attempt to explain. Creation, yes. Many thinkers have attempted to explain this, but how existence, or God Itself came to be, is here is another thing.
I’ll end with this question. Why is the art of asking questions so important to the seeker? Why does it take an advanced consciousness to ask a question that leads to new knowledge?
“To see the truth, you need to see the lies.” Angela’s Eyes, TV series
Sept 6, 2006
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