Why?

Anybody who has cared for or been even acquainted with a young child knows this three letter conundrum very well. It pops up at the most inconvenient times. Often it is easier to quash it than it is to answer. “Because I said so.” Then you realize you have become the ogre you have always despised.

I’ve got three children, the oldest just embarked on her teenage years, and I’ve become much more adept at fielding the “Why?” I still only manage to satisfactorily answer about twenty percent of them. Truly heroic I think because if I tried to field all of them, I would do nothing else. One thing I’ve discovered to be truly empowering is the simple admission, “I don’t know, find out for yourself.” Now my kids can look with in themselves and see if their burning curiosity warrants any action beyond the one word interrogative.

I know this is the political season and every one plays the blame game, “I did this,” “They did that,” “What I meant to say was…”

We are dealing with a volatile crisis in the financial world. I’m becoming more juvenile in my maturity. Why? Something must be done because something was already done to bring about the mess we are in. So how are we to be assured that any solution to the current crisis is not going to be the cause of another one some years down the road. We most certainly must intervene in the intervention and regulate the regulations but “Why?” Perhaps if I ask enough times some one will provide the answer to this and many other deep probes for satisfactory answers.

Social security needs fixing. Why?

Fuel Prices are out of control. Why?

Abortions must be provided regardless of a woman’s ability to pay for them. Why?

Public Schools need more money. Why?

A thousand government boondoggles beg the question, and yet it seems to me that no one is asking why the government is involved in these issues at all. I have to agree with my children that, “Because,” is not a very satisfying answer.

Perhaps we could all look deep with in our selves and see if our burning curiosity warrants finding out “Why?” to our own satisfaction.