WHY!!

[Gonnagle]

Dear you, yes you, you know who you are,

I have always had a fascination with little words, probably because I have a little mind, easy words like God, Love, life, good, bad, evil, even the word word, all little words but powerful words.

But that little word "why" has been bugging me lately, in my working environment I struggle with a job, a duty until I know the why, I still do the job but it niggles away at me until I find the why, is that just me, or do others struggle with this, or is this just a human condition we all suffer from.

When I try to analyse this, I find it is something to do with my ego, can I improve on this, me thinking I know better but then I can't improve on it until I have the why, I truly hate someone saying, well it's the way we have always done it

When I see the end job, the reason why I performed all my tasks then the light bulb goes on, I then say ah! this is why I had to do all those previous tasks so that the end user could perform theirs.

So is this just me, or do others struggle with the why?

Gonnagle.

PS: I put it on philosophy because it sounds pretty philosophical to me

[floo]

That 'why' word might only have three letters, but it is the one which is impossible to answer where our existence is concerned.

[ekim]

That 'why' word might only have three letters, but it is the one which is impossible to answer where our existence is concerned.

Why do you say that?

[floo]

Why do you say that?

We don't know why we are here, or why the universe came into being. Plenty of speculation but no actual facts.

[Gonnagle]

Dear Floo,

I think ekim is partaking of a little leg pulling here but I thought the why we are here would come up, but if we could hold back on that wonderful question, do you suffer from a need to know why you are performing certain tasks.

Gonnagle.

[ekim]

We don't know why we are here, or why the universe came into being. Plenty of speculation but no actual facts.

Why is that?

[Rhiannon]

Dear Floo,

I think ekim is partaking of a little leg pulling here but I thought the why we are here would come up, but if we could hold back on that wonderful question, do you suffer from a need to know why you are performing certain tasks.

Gonnagle.

I don't even think about it. But I can't think of any tasks that I have to do that originate with someone else directing me, or that don't have an obvious purpose - paying my road tax, for example.

The 'whys' that bother me are the ones that relate to injustice, inefficiency and utter stupidity of people in positions of authority and power.

[ekim]

Dear Floo,

I think ekim is partaking of a little leg pulling here but I thought the why we are here would come up, but if we could hold back on that wonderful question, do you suffer from a need to know why you are performing certain tasks.

Gonnagle.

Yes, sorry about that.  If you want to stop yourself acting like a robot then I should say that the suffering is well worth it.  I don't know if it is the same now but you could get into quite a bit of trouble in the Army if you asked the question 'Why?' following an order.  "Orders must be obeyed at all times".

[Gonnagle]

Dear Rhiannon,

Just for you for a long time the old brit public peeled their spuds but now it is common practice to leave the skin on, there is a why behind that, better for you, well so I am told.

This is the kind of why I am looking for.

Gonnagle.

[floo]

Why is that?

Because science hasn't doted all the i's and crossed all the ts, maybe it will one day.

[Gonnagle]

Dear ekim,

Yes, sorry about that.  If you want to stop yourself acting like a robot then I should say that the suffering is well worth it.  I don't know if it is the same now but you could get into quite a bit of trouble in the Army if you asked the question 'Why?' following an order.  "Orders must be obeyed at all times".

Now this is the kind of answer I am looking for, I am not a number

I work in the NHS, and sometimes I watch the younger staff ( not the nurses or Doctors ) walk about with glazed expressions always complaining about the job, but the majority are doing very worthwhile jobs and I wonder if they ask, why?

Gonnagle.

[Rhiannon]

Dear Rhiannon,

Just for you for a long time the old brit public peeled their spuds but now it is common practice to leave the skin on, there is a why behind that, better for you, well so I am told.

This is the kind of why I am looking for.

Gonnagle.

But I like wedges with the skin on, but not roasts. Personal preference, thats my 'why'.

[Anchorman]

Dear you, yes you, you know who you are, I have always had a fascination with little words, probably because I have a little mind, easy words like God, Love, life, good, bad, evil, even the word word, all little words but powerful words. But that little word "why" has been bugging me lately, in my working environment I struggle with a job, a duty until I know the why, I still do the job but it niggles away at me until I find the why, is that just me, or do others struggle with this, or is this just a human condition we all suffer from. When I try to analyse this, I find it is something to do with my ego, can I improve on this, me thinking I know better but then I can't improve on it until I have the why, I truly hate someone saying, well it's the way we have always done it When I see the end job, the reason why I performed all my tasks then the light bulb goes on, I then say ah! this is why I had to do all those previous tasks so that the end user could perform theirs. So is this just me, or do others struggle with the why? Gonnagle. PS: I put it on philosophy because it sounds pretty philosophical to me

Umpteen years ago, I asked "Why£ a lot. The answer I got back? "Why not?"

[floo]

Dear Rhiannon,

Just for you for a long time the old brit public peeled their spuds but now it is common practice to leave the skin on, there is a why behind that, better for you, well so I am told.

This is the kind of why I am looking for.

Gonnagle.

My husband likes baked potatoes, I have never liked them, I was forced to eat them as a kid, my mother thought they were good for us!

[Aruntraveller]

Gonners,

As you work in the NHS, I would have thought that you would have had the memo currently going round which states that you must replace any queries that begin with "Why?" with "WTF is that about?"

 

[Nearly Sane]

I would have thought in this context the 'why' is easy. The question of is this the best way to achieve what the aim is which seems to be what the post covers is a very different one.

[wigginhall]

The old example of the ambiguity of 'why' is 'why is the kettle boiling?'.   Answer - because I want a cup of tea.  Another answer: because water boils at 100°.   This is often called the why of purpose, and the why of reason.   

So I think one sense of why is 'for what purpose?'.   Hence, when people ask, 'why is there anything at all?', it's worth asking them if they mean 'for what purpose do things exist?', as they are concealing their belief that there is a purpose to things.   Why?

Peter Kay has a brilliant monologue which focuses on his grandparents, and his grandfather keeps shouting, 'why is that back door open?', while he is talking to Peter on the phone.   Genius.

[Walt Zingmatilder]

The old example of the ambiguity of 'why' is 'why is the kettle boiling?'.   Answer - because I want a cup of tea.  Another answer: because water boils at 100°.   This is often called the why of purpose, and the why of reason.   

So I think one sense of why is 'for what purpose?'.   Hence, when people ask, 'why is there anything at all?', it's worth asking them if they mean 'for what purpose do things exist?', as they are concealing their belief that there is a purpose to things.   Why?

So let me get this straight
People who are  asking why is there anything at all are  concealing their belief that there is a purpose to things or might be.
Why would they be concealing there belief in that any way?
This sounds like a straw man argument to me.

[wigginhall]

That's not what I said. 

I have no idea why someone would hide their ideas about purpose. 

[ippy]

So let me get this straight
People who are  asking why is there anything at all are  concealing their belief that there is a purpose to things or might be.
Why would they be concealing there belief in that any way?
This sounds like a straw man argument to me.

Why don't you ever give a straight answer to virtually anything asked of you?

Regards ippy

[Walt Zingmatilder]

Why don't you ever give a straight answer to virtually anything asked of you?

Regards ippy

Actually, I'm asking him a question. To what then am I supposed to be giving a straight answer to?

Straight answers on a postcard please.

[ippy]

Dear Rhiannon,

Just for you for a long time the old brit public peeled their spuds but now it is common practice to leave the skin on, there is a why behind that, better for you, well so I am told.

This is the kind of why I am looking for.

Gonnagle.

Can't remember exactly but I can remember that some of the best nutritional value of potatoes is just below the skin and pealing the same removes quite a bit of the best bits of it's food value , so I'm told. (Broke into my train spotters voice writing that)?

Regards ippy

[ippy]

Actually, I'm asking him a question. To what then am I supposed to be giving a straight answer to?

Straight answers on a postcard please.

I was only giving an example of how to use the word, 'WHY', like: Why is it so difficult and virtually impossible for Vlad to give anyone a straight answer?

Regards ippy

[Gonnagle]

Dear Wha's like us damn few and there awe died, ( old Scottish pleasantry )

Fellow Sottish personages, why do we say "why" when actually we mean "how" or are we right and our wonderful English cousins are wrong, it is actually why and not how :

Gonnagle.

[Gordon]

Dear Wha's like us damn few and there awe died, ( old Scottish pleasantry )

Fellow Sottish personages, why do we say "why" when actually we mean "how" or are we right and our wonderful English cousins are wrong, it is actually why and not how :

Gonnagle.

Isn't it the other way around?

In the West of Scotland we tend to say 'how' when we mean 'why' - I think!