Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

Questions often accompany learning. Not everyone, however, wants to provide me with opportunities to learn.

I have two grandchildren. They are growing, changing, learning, and questioning everyday. It is a joy to observe and participate.

They ask questions. My granddaughter, ever the good school student, even raises her hand sometimes when she wants to ask me a question. They spur me to ask questions more often. Yes, even at my age, I learn from my grandchildren.

Still, my colleagues are not always thrilled at my questions. Hence, I try to ask questions that:

• make sense
• have answers

Not a good use of time to ask a colleague, “Why do you have errors in your software?” or “Do you have to cough so much?”

I would learn something if my colleagues would answer these questions. Do these questions, however, have answers? Would these questions merely waste time? I could go on and on with the philosophical benefit of causing a mind to churn and such. Still, is it my place to cause others to think they way I want them to think?

Ask questions. And try to ask questions that make sense and have answers.