A Quiver Full of Questions, writes Niranjan Iyengar

Question: a sentence worded or expressed so as to elicit information.

If you have a mind, you will question.  ‘Question’ is born from the word ‘quest’. Search. Questions are born out of many emotions — curiosity, inadequacy or ignorance. And we are conditioned to believe that a question is completed with an answer. But that’s not always possible, is it?

We have all had questions that have eluded answers for years on end. And with time they somehow don’t even seem to need answers anymore. Here are a few of my own that exist in themselves without any need for completion.  

Why are evenings so depressing? Why is old age so helpless? Why are friendships so selfish? Why is love so one-sided? Why are mothers so resilient? How do brothers get to be so understanding? Why are children so vicious? Why is music so complicated? Why is the world so cruel to wrinkles? Why is writing so difficult? Why is reading so soothing? Why is television so inane? Why is satisfaction so rare? Why is happiness so overrated? Why is distraction so addictive? Why is truth so bitter? Why are lies so sexy? Why is ambition so common? Why has selflessness lost its sheen? Why do other people’s minds look so attractive? Why is peace so elusive? Is marriage more of a lifestyle choice today than an emotional decision? Does upgrading to the newest iPhone really mean anything? When exactly does alone-ness transform itself into loneliness?  Is silence always cowardice and words always courage? Why are workaholics appreciated and alcoholics denounced when both are disorders? When did journalism become more about judgments than opinions? When did traffic cops stop preventing people from breaking rules and start waiting for them to break rules instead? Why is realisation of a dream never as good as the dream itself? Is there anything new left to say or the world from now on is just cut and paste? How does ‘fighting for peace’ make sense when peace means ‘not fighting’? Is the pressure of ‘living life’ easier to bear than the boredom of ‘existing’? Who decided laughter was better than tears? Does knowing about the future make it easier to bear? If people have to work so hard so they don’t have to work then why do they work at all? Does the cloud belong to the sky under which it floats or the earth over which it showers?
And finally the most important one, why are questions so omnipotent?