Questioning / Cynicism

[Scheherazade]

Do you question the things in life (by this I don't mean being simply inquisitive)? If so, what?

E.g. Do you tend to question why people act the way they do? Their expectations from you? Or from others? Do you question why a particular company is able to offer things half the RRP? Do you question your own existence?...

[Miss Darcy]

Do you question the things in life (by this I don't mean being simply inquisitive)? If so, what?

E.g. Do you tend to question why people act the way they do? Their expectations from you? Or from others? Do you question why a particular company is able to offer things half the RRP? Do you question your own existence?...

I think questioning can have philosophical significance in many ways...that is, it is often in wondering that we give birth to new ideas. Why is this so, why is that so, why are you you and why am I me, who are you, really, and who am I...really? In trying to answer our own questions we often have to delve deeper into ourselves, which can lead to...well...self-knowledge, self-recognition, and transcendence.

Why are we here at all?

[sdr4jc]

I question "why" to everything. Like when I was in school for pharmacy...we had to learn what was considered "normal" for the body in order to recognize what wasn't normal. And the question "why" led to more pharmaceutical remedies than the question "how" or "when" or even "what."

[Xamonas Chegwe]

There is a saying (origin unknown) that goes: The old believe everything; the middle-aged question everything; the young know everything.

I think I must have been born middle-aged. I ask myself why, all the time. But then, I ask myself everything, all the time!

[kilted exile]

I dont normally search for reasons "why" I am for more interested in finding out "how". For example instead of asking "why am I here" I spend more time considering "how am I going to make the most of my time here"

[Virgil]

Do you question the things in life (by this I don't mean being simply inquisitive)? If so, what?

E.g. Do you tend to question why people act the way they do? Their expectations from you? Or from others? Do you question why a particular company is able to offer things half the RRP? Do you question your own existence?...
Absolutely. Every hour of every day. One of the things I realize I question more and more are other's thought processes. How did they make that decision? I do this at work constantly. It's the nature of my work. I notice how the members of my team think through problems, either for better or worse. Why did he go this path? What led him this way, and why did he assess this risk? Did he make this decision with a full understanding (quantitatively or subjectively) of the risks or was it impulse? Did he lay out a decision matrix chart? Unfortuantely I've learned that impulse, or gut feel, or intuition, don't work in engineering. A structured decision making process is necessary.

[Pensive]

I do this a lot. It is my habbit, even I ask simple things. Usually my questions are like: Why did you do that? How can I learn Maths? Which is your favourite university? What is your profession? Why did it happen? How is it possible? Why was the universe created?

[AimusSage]

I question a lot of things, but I don't tend to let it limit me. I can accept something for what it is, for the time being, but i'll almost always come back to it, wondering why it is what it is. However since I often cannot find an acceptable answer, this wondering leads to more questions. I tend to write down a lot of these thoughts, and reread them, to get an insight into my own mind, which usually just leaves me confused. At that time I tend the just move on, and leave the thoughts as is. There are plenty of things to question, but finding an anwer to everything is definitely not desirable for me. It is enough for me to learn from the experience and get to understand myself and the world a little better.

[Taliesin]

We question everything.
An usual morning goes like this:
Hmm. We wonder if our porridge has been poisoned?
But who would do it? Perhaps little evil invisible alien poisoners that poison people's morning porridge's? But why would they do it? Perhaps because they are evil?
But how do they get in? Perhaps by light?
Why then, aren't there curtains before our windows?
Is this a conspiracy?
But who would do it? And how do they know about those little aliens?


Wait a second.
Is this topic a conspiracy?
Is this forum a conspiracy?

Where is our "edit" button?

You will never get us without a fight, you little evil aliens.

GRRRRRR!!


Are we paranoid?

[rachel]

I dont normally search for reasons "why" I am for more interested in finding out "how". For example instead of asking "why am I here" I spend more time considering "how am I going to make the most of my time here"


that is brilliant Kilted. I asked why when I was little and then decided to do the same as you. I love the answer Gandalf gives Frodo when Frodo questions why the ring had to come to him. He tells him it really isn't for us to question so much as for us to decide how to use the time we are given on this planet. I like that. So I just try to cram as much good stuff in as I can. It works for me anyway.

[Pensive]

My last question was to my mom a minute ago and it was: Is Cairo in Egypt or is Egypt sutuated in Cairo? (Ah, my poor Geography. I forgets a few things easily)

*smashing her head against the wall* *Bang Bang*

[simon]

I question why the dishes aren't done, why there is mold everywhere. I question if mold inhallation can cause death and breathing problems. I question the landlord who claims to have short term memory loss and "forgets" to come fix the pools of water forming and growing mold on the floor due to water seeping in, for two months and then decides one day that drilling holes underneath the windows to the inside of our apartment will solve the problem. The things we let people do to us.

[rachel]

dear Simon,
the really fuzzy black stuff you need to be careful of. But if you mix about four Tablespoons of bleach in a small bucket of water and wash the mould off it should stay okay for a while and you will be safe.
If you have a little portable heater or can borrow one, use it near the problem and the heat plus the bleach treatment will really really help.
Here is a hug and a nice hot steamy cup of hot chocolate to make you feel better.
you know if you feel that the water problem is serious you can complain to the city health inspector and they can examine it and MAKE that guy pay for someone to really and truly fix it.

[IrishCanadian]

You have a remidy for everything rachel. I'm impressed.
Edit: oh yeah i forgot; I do question things. But its not a "why" so mauch as a "how" after a learn the "what." I think the answere to "why" is circular. Its a little bit like the song invented by British soldiers in WWII "We're here because we're here because we're here because we're here ... " Of course I think theres an answere to that to, but I believe it can be found in the "how" after the "what"
Do I make any sence at all or am I some weirdo living in the stringy confines of his own brain?

[simon]

Hmm how fuzzy? There's kinda blackish fuzzy stuff and dark blue fuzz stuff. Think that's bad eh.

[Xamonas Chegwe]

If the dark blue fuzzy stuff has yellow blobby bits in it, that could be real bad. :nod:

[Scheherazade]

Those of you who said 'yes' to my original question, are you happy with that habit? Do you consider yourselves cynical? Do you question people's intentions? The stories they tell?

Recently I have realised that I do this more often than some people around me. I find myself wondering at the likelihood of the stories they tell and why they choose to share certain things or even their timing at times. What is worse, as humanbeings we are inclined to believe in things told us very easily; especially the compliments without wondering why and who is paying those.

[Pensive]

I am "ok" with that habbit. Actually, sometimes it is not so good to talk that much as I do and to ask so many questions that I also do but I am satisfied with it but sometimes this habbit is embarrassing.

I don't think myself cynical. I am sorry for the half-answer before. *embarrassed*

[Virgil]

No I am not cynical. I question because of curiosity, not bcause paranoia. I want to understand how things work, the various processes of life that are for better or for worse. How else can we improve life? I'm no utopian, but that doesn't mean we can't make it better. And besides cynacism is a lousy feeling. Over time it degenerates one.

[IrishCanadian]

I like it a lot ... as much as I ask that stuff, I don't consider myself cinicle. I think its healthy to want to know "why" and similar questions.

[SleepyWitch]

Those of you who said 'yes' to my original question, are you happy with that habit? Do you consider yourselves cynical? Do you question people's intentions? The stories they tell?

Recently I have realised that I do this more often than some people around me. I find myself wondering at the likelihood of the stories they tell and why they choose to share certain things or even their timing at times. What is worse, as humanbeings we are inclined to believe in things told us very easily; especially the compliments without wondering why and who is paying those.

hm, i normally don't even get a chance to wonder at the likelihood of the stories people tell, because many people I know don't tell any stories or don't seem to be aware of 'why' they act the way they do at all (none of my friends, luckily, but still people who mean a lot to me/ don't mean anything to me but use me as an audience for their moans about the nastiness of life). Lots of people just don't seem to be aware that a) they are acting according to certain patterns or principles and b) that these patterns of behaviour are not the only possible ones...
I sometimes wonder if I'm the 'only' one who ever reflects about her own motives... I know I'm not.. but some people just take it for granted that you know why they are doing tings the way they do/ have cerntain opinions, whereas I always give people an explanation of how I reached a conclusion or why I acted in some way or other... I continually explain myself to others to make it easier for them to see why I do things the way I do and that I don't wanna pick a fight with them or anything just because I act differently...
errr, do you get my point?

[Stanislaw]

I am a very cynical person. And quite often I question mostly everything around me. The reasoning behind a decision, be it good or bad, I find interesting. As for being cynical, I have some doubts about humanity.

[CheshireCat87]

every ones cynical some just hide it

what i've always found weird is why do some countries call other countries somthing other than what they call them selves ie. germany's real name is dutchland but then the neatherlands are mostly refered to as holland and the people who live there are dutch thats like if some one call me sally but my real name was erika it just doesnt make sense we should call people what they call themself and we should call countries what they call themselves

[ClaesGefvenberg]

Do you question the things in life (by this I don't mean being simply inquisitive)? If so, what?
Absolutley. It's my 2:nd nature to question things. I've been brought up that way. To top that, It is also my job to do so... I am a Quality Engineer by trade, and I'm supposed to help our organization to improve. In order to do that I have to ask the question why very often. Now, I suppose you see a picture of a professional whiner, incessantly asking "why didn't this work?". Not so...

What I'm in fact looking for, is improvement potential, and I'm just as likley to blurt my why? out when we've done something that works: Then, I want to find out what we did right, so we can do it again...


Those of you who said 'yes' to my original question, are you happy with that habit? Do you consider yourselves cynical?
In the light of the above comments: Yes, I am very happy with it. Cynical? It happens every now and then, but generally speaking I'm a positive person. it makes my life easier...

/Claes

[Stanislaw]

Deutchland, but it mainly has to do with different languages and cultural acceptances for example: Other countries call China, China, but in Mandarin the countries name translates as middle-land (or middle-state). From their point of view, they were the centre of the world, some other countries just happened to disagree. Also politics play a major role in what countries call eachother ex: Burma/myanmar...which is it?

ps. the dutch and the dutch language should not be confused with the deutch language and deutchland.


every ones cynical some just hide it

what i've always found weird is why do some countries call other countries somthing other than what they call them selves ie. germany's real name is dutchland but then the neatherlands are mostly refered to as holland and the people who live there are dutch thats like if some one call me sally but my real name was erika it just doesnt make sense we should call people what they call themself and we should call countries what they call themselves