Just about everyone is familiar with the proverb ‘There are no stupid questions’. While most people will be quick to agree, I can guarantee that the majority of those people don’t truly believe it. Even I find myself dismissing the odd question as dumb.

In a society of instant gratification and constant information, we have grown quick to judge in order to keep up. It’s easy to take a question that seems obvious to you and decide it’s not worth your time to answer. It’s also easy to think less of the asker for not knowing the answer; I mean, it seemed so obvious to you after all.

As I kid I was a big fan of my dad’s old MAD magazines. I particularly liked Al Jaffee’s Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions. Boy oh boy did Al ever make some people sound silly. His witty retorts were so good I forgot all about the adage of no stupid questions. I learned that there are stupid questions and the best way to respond to them was with a clever and sarcastic remark. I later learned that Al Jaffee is a jerk.

Recently I have been exploring the art of meditation. Through self-reflection, I have gained patience. I have realized that it’s not about the questions. At the end of the day, it does not matter whether or not a question is intelligent. Every question is significant and important in its own right. If you read my last blog post you’ll know that the important thing is to not stop questioning.

So my challenge to you is to not only agree with the motto ‘There are no stupid questions’, but practice it. Next time someone asks you a ‘stupid question’, answer it! No matter what the question is. Do not allow yourself to get agitated by the curious individual wasting your time but rather encourage this inquisitive nature. Every time you make someone feel like they asked a bad question you are teaching them to stop questioning.

I leave you with my own twist on the proverb and that is this:

There are stupid questions and they’re the best ones.

Be good to each other; you have but one life to live. You can choose to support your neighbor or you can choose to judge them for asking ‘stupid questions’. I hope you choose wisely and never stop questioning.