become an island of excellence in a sea of mediocrity

do you ever ask WHY?

why did you just do that?

why did he/she say that?

why do i need to do this?

why was this created?

why is it the way it is?

there is a quote somewhere on this blog that says something about TRUE LEARNING IS GAINED BY ASKING QUESTIONS NOT ANSWERS.

i've been teaching myself to ask a lot of why's. not sad "why me?"-- but seeking to understand things. I ask a lot of why's about the human body. i ask a lot of whys about the gospel. i ask a lot of whys about relationships and communication. i ask a lot of whys about my motives.

i was on the treadmill (yes! yeeeek, i hate the treadmill!! but it's too cold here now. snow has fallen) yesterday and i was watching people workout. as a certified personal trainer, this is a painful task. i want to yell out at some of them before they hurt themselves. so as i was observing, and deciding how to correct their form/workout/technique, i thought about the reasons why i would give for every change i made. i realized that when we (the person working out) understands WHY the change is necessary then value will be added to the change. they will sustain and respect the change because they can see exactly why it is necessary.

it makes sense for me to inform you that when you arch your back during a chest press, that you are actually making your workout less efficient. you are no longer using solely the chest muscles, but now your back (a stronger muscle) is being used to pull the weight. you don't want this unless you are trying to strengthen your back in an indirect way. now that you understand WHY, you would likely make the change to your form so that you can get more out of your time in your workout. right????

i thought about this in other aspects of life.

when we begin to understand why God gives us each commandment, they become easier and more logical to follow. they hold more value to you and you recognize the need for it.

when we begin to understand why we go to college, it begins to become significant on a more meaningful level. this inspires motivation to do it.

there is peace in understanding the WHY.

I think many people don't know why they are on the earth.

why do you think you're here?

once you have answered this question for yourself, new meaning is taken to the past, present, and future. your decisions will be affected by this answer. value is added to your existence.

we ought to seek to teach others by teaching them the WHY to everything.

to children and adults alike.

when we begin to earnestly seek out in our minds the WHY to all things, our knowledge will grow. we will be better off for it. we will be able to make necessary changes. and be motivated to sustain truth.