The Nature Of The Questions That Call To Us

Human beings are the beings that ask questions. It is our nature. Why couldn’t BP have foresawn what would happen if their blowout preventer failed? What will happen to the Pax Americana if the Afghan government fails and we cannot contain the Taliban? Why does Haiti continue to suffer? What is the correct mix of public and private measures to right the economy?

We all have questions, and at times the questions can seem overwhelming. Obviously the weightier questions demand more attention, but what is important is the method that we use in answering these questions, keeping in mind that we are always systematizing but that we never quite have that system that will answer all questions. When we are convinced that we have the system that explains all, the total system, we fall into the errors of the Soviet socialists who spoke about total administration, of finally being able to categorically solve all of the problems of humanity. We are the beings who ask questions because we are the beings who come face to face with uncertainty. We have to humbly admit that we do not have all of the answers to all of these thorny questions and that gives us pause. It should give us pause during this election season, as some of us prepare to scalp those politicians who just don’t seem to fit into the systems we have set up to settle once and for all all of the thorny issues that are plaguing us at this time.

Because we all face uncertainty, we are called through all of our spiritual traditions, to ask questions of each other in a spirit of charity. We are not here to demolish our opponents. Let’s all face the question: are we absolutely certain that we know all the answers—that BP’s mistake was “an act of God,” that the President “doesn’t emote enough,” that we know 100% what we’re doing with deep sea drilling, that someone has the silver bullet for Afghanistan, that illegal immigrants pose a terrible threat to our nation, and finally, that gays and lesbians pose a terrible threat to the moral fiber of our country. Do we really want to be like the Soviet socialists and silence the questions, to claim the possibility of attaining “total administration” (a terrifying thought, a terrifying phrase).

Ask the question: are we sure we know for sure? And in our uncertainty,won’t that give us a little more room to live with each other in our noble, but uncertain humanity.