When I was travelling yesterday I was listening to some music and there was a song about questions the lyrics seemed to suggest that questions are a negative thing. This got me thinking… questions are often seen as a bad thing. People might be embarrassed to put their hand up to ask a question in class; people don’t like asking for directions; children in school often wouldn’t like to ask if they didn’t understand what to do if they had lost something; generally people don’t like to admit that there is something they don’t understand or if they don’t know what to do. People can also get rather miffed if they are asked lots of questions. You can see why questions have got a bad reputation.

BUT

I would like to fight for the importance of questions in all areas of life.

My first argument is that it is essential to ask questions to develop our understanding of things. We had asked for some donations for our church food larder and someone asked what was needed in particular. Another example is when I was in the pub with a friend and I was talking about Church using very specific terminology and she stopped me and asked me what those words meant so that she could fully understand what I was talking about. I would often sit in parents evenings telling the pupils that it was a good thing to put their hands up to ask questions because it was likely to help other people as well as themselves.

The song I was listening to was based around the Christian faith, along the lines of even though we may have questions God is always by our side. In my view questions are a necessity for faith, by asking questions we develop our own understanding of things rather than just relying on what we are told.

My second argument is that questions are essential for mental health whether that is to ask others how they are, or what is wrong; or whether it others asking you how you are. Sometimes questions can be lifesaving which leads me to…

My third argument is that questions can be lifesaving. If I think about the amount of questions I’ve been asked by Paramedics it means they can understand my situation and what I need.

My final argument for this particular blog post is that questions are necessary to understand the needs of people. I know it can be frustrating to fill out forms and answer questions for PIP for example, but it is a way for them to understand what would be of benefit for you.

My final point though, is that if you ask a question then please listen and use the answer!