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Why Are We Afraid to Question?

Best-selling author, Jungian analyst, and post-trauma recovery professional, Clarissa Pinkola Estés, has written, “Asking the proper question is the central action of transformation—in fairy tales, in analysis, and in individuation. The key question causes germination of consciousness. The properly shaped question always emanates from an essential curiosity about what stands behind. Questions are the keys that cause the secret doors of the psyche to swing open.”

This is the essence and the work of psychotherapy. A properly framed question can probe one’s deepest inner spaces and dislodge a revealing answer.

But let’s broaden the scope a bit. More than the work of therapists, physicians, and psychiatrists, thoughtful questions offer all of us insights and discoveries we may or may not be aware of.

We live in a time of flimsy answers. Our politicians are not interested in questions. They only want to provide their own solutions, even though they may be unworkable and unwanted.

Why are we not as individuals and as a nation asking more sensible questions?

For instance, why in the world are we still fighting unwinnable wars? Does anyone even think about this? After the devastating 911 attacks, the Bush administration initiated “the war on terror.” No one questioned the ambiguity of such a war. What kind of terror? Which terrorists? No one knew for sure. And why, seemingly, did no one even dare to question why we were attacked in the first place?

President Bush and his staff said it was because the terrorists hated our freedom? That never made any sense to me. Our freedom? No. They hated our interference in their lives, our belittling their culture, their religion, and our abuse of their resources. Did it occur to any of us that the USA had finally infuriated Muslim, Arab, and Islamist leaders and their people to the point they would take our intrusions and arrogance and superiority no longer? They had no lethal air power. No advanced military. No high caliber weapons. What they did have were clever ideas for terrorizing giant superpowers. And unfortunately, they succeeded then and still today.

If anyone questions any of this; if anyone suggests these wars might have something to do with money-making and greed on our part; if anyone says our fight on terror is an aimless, winless delusion played out by corrupt politicians—well, then we’re tagged as unpatriotic, traitors, pansies, spineless whiners afraid to get into it with the bad guys. Which of course is a bunch of nonsense.

We’re smarter than this as a people. Why don’t we question these wars and the endless and enormous human and financial waste they produce?

Here’s another question. Why is it perfectly fine for a police officer to shoot and kill an unarmed suspect, especially a black man or woman? And why are they, except in a tiny few instances, never prosecuted for their crimes? Why is that? We all know a police officer’s work is dangerous and they take risks every day to serve and protect society. But does that mean it’s okay when they just outright murder a suspect and then face no responsibility for taking a life, at all?

Police misconduct and flagrant murder should be questioned by a humane society. Period.

And what about our immigration policies? The pathetic, outdated, torturous, intimidating, overpriced and often just cruel process for immigrants to gain citizenship in this country is outrageous. Why don’t we question it? Why can’t we update and improve it? Why make it so difficult and so expensive that it drives decent, hard-working, skilled people underground into illegal status?

Why are we still fighting abortion rights in this country? Abortion has been legal since 1973. Legal in every state. And yet, religious groups, hate groups, duped and cowardly politicians, continue to find every way possible to thwart, constrain, browbeat and threaten women in this country who choose to have a legal abortion. No one questions this. No one cares that countless women struggling with unimaginable complications to a pregnancy, or rape, or incest are being forced in states across the country by incompetent, callus, patronizing politicians to carry to term terribly complicated and often humiliating pregnancies. Why do we unwittingly allow this?

Principles, values, and laws are meant to serve and protect society, not society serving principles, values and laws that harm and destroy people.

It’s time we question who we are and what we stand for as a nation and as individuals.


© 2017 Timothy Moody

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