INQUIRY AND ADVOCACY

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“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the masteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.” Albert Einstein

When you open your mouth and begin to talk, you either advocate a view, belief, understanding, knowledge, etc. or you inquire to gather information. Of these two, most people engage in far more advocacy than inquiry. In fact, some people hardly ever use inquiry. They talk and talk, they give advice, they lecture, they preach, they declare what is or should be, they make propositional statements, etc. They almost never question. Test this in your own experience— run an experiment this week by noticing the relationship between inquiry and advocacy among the people around you.