The Power of “Why”
October 26, 2023 - It is so easy to be lazy these days. Groceries delivered to our door within minutes of ordering them online. Books downloaded to our e-readers. Pretty much anything we need or want can be on our doorstep by tomorrow morning.
We consume content as determined – or at least influenced – by the loudest voice and/or the influencer with the most followers. It’s turned us into complacent consumers; happy to swallow what we see and read at face value.
Social media helps this along by analyzing our algorithms and sending us more of the content we peruse. Have you ever searched for let’s say “blue raincoat” and all of a sudden, all the ads popping up on your screen are for raincoats?!
On the other end of the spectrum we have continual call outs alerting us to alleged “fake news”.
What is truth these days? Who determines truth?
If you’ve followed me for any amount of time you know I have two favorite mantras
Get on the ground!
There are no better witnesses than your own two eyes (Amharic proverb)
While single stories are not necessarily wrong,
they are always incomplete.
Learning from 4 year olds
To counter this complacency, I’d like to recommend we all spend time with some 4-year olds whose favorite question tends to be one word: “Why?”
“Why” is a powerful word. It opens our mind to different possibilities, to learning, to viewing something from a different angle.
And a lot of 4 year olds don’t stop with just one “why?”
They listen to our answer and from that listening another question pops into their mind, and then another question.
It may irritate us sometimes (yes, let’s be honest, we’ve all rolled our eyes when kids as ‘’why’’ for the umpteenth time – smile). But it should actually make us think: “Hmmm, do I have that same curiosity, that same desire to learn?”
The Joys of Curiosity
Each Friday on LinkedIn I highlight 5 people you would enjoy getting to know from around Africa. In recent weeks, this has included:
- Judith Marera, CEO of Lanforce Energy who at age 4 started searching, alongside her mother and sisters for firewood on the Nyakuni Mountain in rural Zimbabwe. Today she builds and sells biodigesters and biogas products so today’s young girls can spend time in school…not searching for wood.
- Jide Martins, who like most kids grew up reading comic books but never saw people or places that looked like his daily life. Today, as CEO of Comic Nigeria, he creates comics that reflect local cultures, places and people.
- Adeline Pelage, helped pay her way through university in France selling baked goods. Back home in Cameroon she’s not only still baking but has built reliable local partnerships and supply chains that allow her to use all locally sourced products and create jobs for her fellow Cameroonians. Follow them on IG: biscuiteriebobo. If only we could transport smells through social media….
- The cofounders of Khumo Studios in Botswana who are creating jobs, building a film industry and telling original African stories through film and TV.
- And there are thousands more stories like these.
Oh…stop a moment…what’s your heart feeling right now?
A little flutter of joy and lightheartedness perhaps?
That’s what curiosity does. It inspires us. It puts a smile on our face. Sometimes even a bit of wonder in our minds.
What are you going to ask “why” about today?
Photo: me being reminded of the innocence, joy and lightheartedness of curiosity as I am surrounded by youngsters in Nairobi, Kenya