Asker Vs Asked

We often face questions. We also ask. Only when children ask, we are reassured of an element of ‘innocence’ and we don’t try to ‘view’ that question. We just ‘look’ at it, and give out an honest answer (unless the child is yet to grow enough to ‘take the answer’ and stay healthy too!).
When adults ask, the first impulse is to find out the ‘hidden’ agenda behind that question! And invariably, the defense-mechanism within us sets itself into motion ‘by default’ and the answer takes a crooked shape, quite encrypted, and most of the times, utterly useless!
But in some places, things have to work, like, at reception counters. They have ‘stock-replies’ and the asker starts turning away, even before the last syllable of the curt-one-liner is fully spelt out! Answers to even simple queries beget too many ‘insurance policies and disclaimer clauses’ attached to it!
Some people who are eager to share their rich experience shy away from elaboration, for fear that they might turn out to be ‘borers’ to the others, with too much of unsolicited elaboration.
At school, we had some teachers, who thought of ‘preparing’ us well by warning us that the lesson is going to be dull, but important. And, instead of invoking better focus and concerted efforts to fight back a dull inattentive listening, we prepared better than ever to doze of prematurely! We used to admire our teachers, more for their ability to withstand fatigue, of repetition of those dull lessons over years, than their grasp of the subject and its knowledge.

The asker of this question reminded me of those ancient sophisticated, dedicated and well evolved teachers of ancient times. No wonder, they were not subject-wise teachers. They were ‘object-wise’ and otherwise, quite wise too! The main subject that they taught (handling emotions!) is now omitted from syllabus itself, as a helplessly-choice-less ‘choice’(our kids, during the last minute preparation for exams, decide to handle some ‘un-revisable’ portions by ‘leaving-it-out-in-choice’ if it occurs in the question paper)!

Regards,
Psn(9th June, 2010)

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100609040053AANaKoB
Does it seem to you, that most people ask questions, expecting a certain answer?
Do most of the questions that you read, seem like the person that is asking has already made up their mind and they are simply looking for someone that agrees with their decision?

My answer:
To a large extent, yes.
How else to judge the answer, unless we can compare with what we already know. The flight of knowledge is from 'known to unknown'. Only the permutation and combination looks new, and affords some attraction towards an acceptance (with a 'let me see').
Traditionally, in the east, in ancient India, the process of imparting knowledge was quite sophisticated and well evolved. They could easily place a new student (the asker, the inquisitive, the learner, the thirsty for knowledge).

Most of them want to know how much the other person knows.

A few want to know a little more(just the information part, not the underlying concept etc).

A few want to know and also learn, if it suits one's comfortable disposition (there are dull lessons, boring lessons, etc which they distance themselves from).

There are a very few, who are intensely thirsty to know, learn and possess the knowledge. These few are ready to do "what ever it takes". They usually 'handover themselves' into the care of the Teacher, placing great trust. It is such students that the Teacher looks out for, and abundantly reciprocates with unmatched compassion!

(Now, I wonder, if I have ended up with too much of unsolicited details! Anyway, loved answering it, and may be some other readers, some time later too, would enjoy looking at this aspect of asking-seeking. Thanks for the question!)