One of the most convenient and useful ways to learn is to ask questions. We are born curious, and come into this world with all sorts of questions. We ask and ask in a futile attempt to quench our fathomless thirst for knowledge. A strange thing happens though, whether through upbringing or exhaustion we begin to stop asking, to stop being curious, to withdraw from the need to know. However questions are what allow you to learn and grow, and no matter the age they should always be asked.
How?
Often people simply say that they cannot think of a question to ask. They are given information and accept it. A wonderful place to start, that can give useful insight and develop understanding, is a wonderful one word question: how. This will require the person or entity you are asking to describe what is going on, and allow you to see and analyze the inner workings of the concept. If something doesn’t seem right or doesn’t make sense, in any situation, this is a wonderful question to ask. If you’ve done it right you will be rewarded with more information to question further. Ask how things work, ask when, where, and what to see if the answers make sense. Never be afraid to ask. The most brilliant people on the planet are the ones who ask questions more frequently and more elegantly than anyone else. It is the encouragement to investigate, and the motivation to find the answer.
What?
No topic or area of knowledge should be off limits to know about and to ask about. Question Everything. The entire universe is interesting and it would not be unreasonable to want to know about all of it. Humans, every one of us, are incredibly smart and are capable of learning and understanding ludicrously difficult concepts or ideas. It begins with the small steps of looking around at the elegant universe and wanting to know. Whether the topic is animals, people, business, arts, or even the very laws that govern the cosmos, one can ask questions that lead to understanding. The fun is in the process, the joy in the epiphanies.
Why?
There should be no limits on knowing. Asking questions allows one to push those limits which are self imposed. It allows one to see and understand the world we live in under a different light. Becoming an intelligent person and an independent thinker is hinged on one’s ability to ask proper questions. Information taken at face value is squandered; its validity, inept. Asking critical questions is critical in any learner’s, especially a student’s, path to success. If curiosity were a plant, questions would be the seeds and understanding the fruit. Any concept in, or even out, of the current scope of human knowledge is yours to grasp, all you have to do is ask the right questions.