Right questions or Right answers

We hesitate, to ask, pondering whether we have the ‘Right’ to ask. And then whether we are capable to wrought right-questions, when we attempt to write questions, when asking face to face seems embarrassing.

Youngsters, while learning the answers, find it exciting to store as much as possible to empower themselves, from the class lessons to the wide encyclopedia, and end up as large data-banks, with great strenuous efforts. Yet, when it comes to competitions, they are surprised at the success of others who seem not-so-well-informed. The question that now comes up is which is more important, to ask the right questions, or to give the right answers. Of course it is a lot debatable. But to get along in practical reality of life, winning debates do not offer much help. This very question is the adequate proof, that it being a vital question (and not an answer), it is asking the right thing that helps.

At Banks, when that irksome balancing of Cash Book (the ultimate of problems during manual-accounting-days) eats up a lot of time, a clever official asks the right question at last, “Who wrote the subsidiaries, and who checked it?”. Now the evasive solution lights up itself. The ‘unique’ unimaginable type of errors that only some people are ‘capable’ of committing, occurs to the memory, and the work progresses! Even at homes, when we are searching for something, we ask ‘who used it last’ and then we know that, this person keeps it at a wrong place, the most inconspicuous place each time!

The very structure of FAQs reveals the mind of the designer(irrespective of whether it is frequented or not). It is the questions that appeal to the reader, rather than the answers. (I am still bogged by the question, ‘why my question’ when I recollect an incident that happened in our school, when I was in 4th or 5th class. That famous mathematician “Shakuntala Devi” was invited to our school to motivate the children by demonstration of her exceptional computing capabilities, without the help of paper/pencil, within moments of being asked a ‘sum’ (mathematical problems posed was called a ‘sum’, by our teachers, at least then!). It was more of a compulsion by the ‘respective’ class teacher, that I was victimized to ask (teachers were ‘instructed’ to persuade as many ‘sums’ as possible, to be evoked. We were new to ‘asking’ questions at that age! And, sandwiched between ‘inexperience to ask’ and uninitiated into ‘refusing’, for the teacher, it was just ‘aim and shoot’ at the nearest sitting ducks in the class. I was a front-bencher. I wrote the first thing that came to my mind, (it was copied from an ‘ad’ at the Bank(SBH), nearest to our school, and I was familiar with it, having read it over and over, each time that I pass by, my daily route, school to home). It so happened that the mathematical Wizard required some extra moments to give out the answer. I never even did the ‘long-method’ calculation to verify the answer. Just gulped what she spelt out. But, at the end of the ‘show’, she asked the owner of this ‘chit-of-paper’ to be produced before her on the stage. She wanted to meet the ‘scoundrel’ who managed to ask such tricky ‘sum’! In a moment’s time, when she lay her gaze upon me, she turned into ‘compassion’ itself, (I am unable to forget that ‘look’ in her eyes, and I couldn’t even manage to make a mental note of the words she uttered to appreciate the question (Oh, it was the ‘sum’). But she concluded with ‘best wishes’ for ‘bright’ future. Here I got my first lessons about the importance of ‘asking’ right questions. This lesson did play a very significant role in shaping me later, when I turned towards the ‘pathless path’.

Okay, too lengthy a narrative, already. (But, I feel like a toothpaste tube, there was a question that ‘squeezed’ it out of me!)

Regards,
Psn (10th June, 2010)

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100609221546AA5fE3W&r=w#NbUvWzq9WThW9GWqYeRc

Which do you think is more important: a) to have the right answsers, or b) to ask the right questions? ...?
In life?... On Y!A?... Why?

My reply:
Not just "more" important.....
If we are able to ask the right questions, it become THE most important capability.
No body has ever been able to replicate "Socrates" just because he was the "most" capable so far, to be able to ask SUCH right questions that the unlettered simple village folks around him were 'blessed' enough to discover that all the answers were present, right there, just within them, all the time!!!

Scaling down, for commercial purposes, it the lawyer who can ask the right questions, who breaks down the witness of the opposite side.
It is the expert who can ask the right question, who gets the best coveted job in that HR (Human resources), and is able to get the best candidate possible as a Hire.
At the reception counter, it the right question that gets the correct and complete information (about anything, like at airport, Railway station, etc, delayed flights, alternate arrangements, food, accommodation, etc) since the answers are ususally on a 'need-to-know-basis'.

Even the Honourable "Learned" Judges give out favourable judgements only when right questions are asked during final arguements (example: There was a case of compelling a spouse to 'stay' with the appellent spouse-partner, invoking the provision of marriage Act, where in, the "restitution of conjugal rights" was enacted. The clever lawyer asked the Judge whether the fundamental rights in constitution of the country was superior or the provisions of marriage Act. Now, if that constitution is superior, how does the law that restrict the freedom of movement ("staying" with spouse) hold valid? The Judge simply smiled and declared that this provision of marriage Act was ultra-vires the constitution, and hence void! Many other divorce cases collapsed when this Judgement was pronounced. Such is the power of asking a right question!)