Tag: Ask Why

We Don’t Always Know the Why’s

We don’t always know why things happen. Yesterday it was 75° here. And by this evening we will be enjoying the snow. With 2 – 5 inches due by tomorrow.  Most people here don’t understand why the weather changes so fast. The only thing we can say is, “Welcome to the wonderful world of Colorado weather.” This may be an extreme example, yet the idea behind it is real for more than just Colorado. We see this throughout our lives. We see things happen both good and evil, and can only ask ‘Why?’

We try to attach meaning to events to make them more understandable.  And yet, why a plane ends up in the sea, or a car crashes or anything else happens, is often beyond our understanding.  Many times, I see things, and I can only ask why because I don’t know.  Why did this or that happen? Why?

I do not want to blame everything on random chance.  I also do not want to blame all tragedies on pre-ordained fate.  As a process engineer who believes in continuous improvement, I know that as we understand more, safety and health improve.  And, in this, there is some understanding.  Because someone a long time ago stood next to some shiny leaves and got a rash, we now know to stay away from poison ivy.  Someone had to make the error so the rest of us could learn.

The next time something happens, we could blame it on fate.  We can blame the pre-ordination of man, or we can empathize with the who and what, and learn something that could help us, and everyone else.

It is hard to say why things happen.  I know I do not understand a lot in the larger scheme of things. I do know that time, life, and knowledge are essential.  I feel I need to pay more attention.

Thanks for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Where Are the Answers

It is not that I’m a doubtful soul. It’s just sometimes I look at some of the news that is run, and I begin to wonder why? And, what are they trying to hide? Something happened a year ago, and it was taped, why wasn’t it brought up then? Especially if it was devastating are degrading to a large group of people.

I understand that sensationalism is often saved until the book is ready to debut. And sometimes, national news is the greatest advertising one can obtain, not to mention that it’s free. Yet, how truly meaningful and caring is the writer if they sit on the knowledge of wrong-doing until the book is written and they can make a buck off of it.

I canot entirely blame the writer. After all, money is money, and without income, it’s hard to buy the groceries. What really bothers me is professional news organizations with limited airtime, choosing to sensationalize tell-all books when there is news which goes unreported. It almost starts to feel like the standard government plan of ancient Rome. Keep the people entertained and fed.

Truthfully, I cannot even blame the news people. So many viewers watch shows where people are invited to discuss their personal problems. When two or three are on stage the screaming, cursing, and name-calling commence. If the audience is lucky somebody throws a punch or chair. Then the host opens an envelope to reveal a paternity test, or drug test, or the results of the lie detector. Then, the show is over with a few lives better and most lives even more devastated. It makes me wonder, is this the modern-day video Coliseum, although I’m told people watch these shows so they can feel that there are people worse than they are.

Do we want to make our decisions based on the fact that there are people that are worse than we are? Or, do we want to make our decisions based on something good that we can strive for? It is up to each of us, and the answers are not within mass distribution. The answers are within ourselves. If others won’t turn off the conspiracies, the hatred, and the false entertainment. Maybe it’s up to us to turn off the sensationalism and find something better to do.

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