The Annoying "Why?"

by Joe Greene

……….“Corporations should not be subsidized.” “Make peace with peace, not war” “Capitalism is the best system” “We should have a progressive tax structure”
……….Fill in whatever political or social policy you think should be implemented. What do you see as the most important agenda item that America or the world should be concerned about? Write it down. You got one?
……….Now my four-year-old daughter has a question for you, “Why?” It is one of her favorite questions lately. Whatever issue, policy, or agenda item you came up with - my daughter asks you, “why?”
……….Since I don’t know what idea came to your head, let’s just take the proposition: “Corporations should not be subsidized.”
………. “Why?”
………. “Well, it’s not fair that these multimillion dollar things that are not even real people get a free ride when the poor of this nation have to pay sales tax to buy detergent to have clean clothes.”
………. “Why? Why isn’t that fair?” “Well, corporations have a lot of money, and poor people don’t – so the poor should not have to pay”
………. “Why not?” “Why?” “Why?” ad infinitum
……….The little question – “Why?” – gets annoying. A part of its annoyance is that it is so simple but it makes us really think. It makes us go back to our assumptions, our set of values, the very foundation of every prescription, moral idea, or policy we have for this nation or ourselves.
……….When we ask “Why?” enough times we usually get down to the basic notions of right and wrong. Why should the poor be given more thought than corporations when it comes to tax breaks? Why is it wrong to allow the rich to get richer and the poor get poorer? Why is it not fair? Because you feel it is not fair? Feelings often change. Because there is a general human consensus? That too changes (see slavery, abortion, women’s rights, gay rights, etc.)
……….What are you basing your sweeping pronouncements on? Hey Mr. Marxist what are you standing on when you rail against the American status quo? Hey Ms. Capitalist on what basis do you say that people should be allowed to make money unfettered by government interference? Go ahead, make a logical claim. Let us rationalize and justify - but then let’s ask why.
……….If you are a naturalist, atheist or an agnostic you have few places to turn when answering the question “why?”. Feelings, popular opinion, are there others? Get some consistency – become a Nihilist. Recognize that you have no basis for any claim that you say. You’re just a product of your genes and upbringing. Nothing you can do or say will make a positive difference – because who is to say what is positive or negative.
………. “Why?” is an annoying question that brings us to places we don’t want to go. It shows us how we spout off like we think we know how things should be – based on nothing more than that which is swimming around in our heads. Nothing eternal, nothing transcendent, just an highly evolved animal trying to fool him/herself into thinking they are consistent, that their thoughts are bigger than themselves.

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