Always Ask Why
We’ve all been taught since childhood by parents and teachers to always ask “why” about everything, but when we become adults, do we really practice this?
The Shift from Certainty to Uncertainty
I once took pride in instantly recognizing what concepts an exam question was testing. I was confident in my answers, and when I scored high, that feeling of self-assurance made me feel like nothing could stump me! When classmates looked at me with envy, I felt like a little genius!
But in the blink of an eye, as I grew older and left my student days behind, that feeling vanished completely, and I even began to doubt myself! Because life’s exam has no fixed test points or standard answers!
This shift from certainty to uncertainty represents a fundamental change in our cognitive patterns. School education cultivates the ability to find standard answers within established frameworks, while real life demands the ability to identify the essence of problems and construct solutions in complex, ever-changing environments. This difference is the root of our confusion.
The Struggle and Reflection in Seeking Essence
To find the essence of life’s challenges, I read many books about seeking essence, even delving into Buddhist scriptures, hoping to find that lamp to illuminate my path through the fog. But the results were disappointing—I couldn’t even understand what the books were saying! A passage from the Tao Te Ching came to mind: “Humans follow the earth, earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Tao, and the Tao follows nature.” Could it be that I wasn’t getting answers because I wasn’t thinking and acting according to natural laws?
Could there be questions without answers? Must all questions have answers? Is the essence of a question its answer?
This led me to think about a deeper question: might there be questions that have no answers? Must every question have an answer? Is the essence of a question simply its answer?
Actually, some questions’ value lies not in finding standard answers, but in the thinking process itself. As Socrates said, “I know that I know nothing”—acknowledging ignorance is itself a form of wisdom. The essence of questions often isn’t the answer, but the deep structures and operating mechanisms that the questions reflect.
So I’ve always believed that if you want to do something well, thoroughly, with long-term vision and clarity, you must grasp its essence and not deviate from it.
“Technique” and “Way”: Two Levels of Understanding Essence
We all know the saying “see through phenomena to grasp essence,” but how do we see through phenomena to grasp essence? What methods are there? I believe that the process of finding how to see essence clearly is the process of enlightenment!
The methods we find for seeing essence clearly are fundamentally “techniques”—like asking “why”—but they are not the “Way.” They are techniques that help you see essence, they are tools!
Here we need to distinguish two concepts:
Technique (Methodological Level):
- Asking why repeatedly
- First principles thinking
- Systematic analysis
- Comparative analysis
- Historical tracing
Way (Understanding Level):
- Deep grasp of how things operate
- Intuitive insight ability
- Cross-domain analogical thinking
- Dynamic balance wisdom
Understanding the “Way” of seeing essence clearly means truly comprehending essence! Initially, we need to rely on “techniques” to approach essence, but later we develop the ability to see through phenomena to essence without relying on specific “techniques,” because we have our own “Way”!
This “Way” cannot be acquired in a day or two—it requires extensive input, long-term cultivation of various “techniques,” and continuous practical verification to form one’s own “Way”!
The Practice Path: Cultivating from “Technique” to “Way”
Now that we understand the difference between “technique” and “Way,” how do we progress from relying on “techniques” to developing our own “Way”? I believe this can be divided into several stages:
Stage One: Master Basic “Techniques”
- Cultivate the habit of asking “why”
- Learn to apply first principles thinking
- Practice systematic problem analysis
- Master comparative analysis and historical tracing methods
Stage Two: Integrate Various “Techniques”
- Flexibly apply different methods in various scenarios
- Begin forming your own thinking patterns
- Quickly identify problem types and applicable analytical methods
Stage Three: Form Your Own “Way”
- Develop intuitive insight abilities
- Engage in cross-domain analogical thinking
- Form dynamic balance wisdom
- No longer depend on specific methods, but reach essence directly through deep understanding
The Continuous Path of Cultivation
Understanding essence is an ongoing process with no endpoint. Every thought and practice is progress on this path. What matters is not immediately reaching a certain height, but maintaining a continuous state of learning and thinking.
As Laozi said: “The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao.” The true “Way” cannot be fully expressed in words—it can only be gradually approached through continuous practice and realization.
Well, having said all this, let me start by practicing “asking why” and embark on my own path of cultivating the “Way,” so I can develop the ability to quickly see through to essence!