What, How & Why

I’ve been working with the what, how and why for years. For me, this is a logical sequence. Let me tell you why.


In most endeavors – work, family discussions, school, friends, church, associations – we talk among ourselves. The purpose of the ‘talk’ is to share meaning between others in life. Meaning is not always fully known at a given moment. The sharing is a means of ferreting out better understandings among us. “I mean to say, or I meant to say.” We struggle to articulate constantly. Don’t we?


Arranging the words to adequately reflect what we mean is a process that takes work. I like to think of it as a struggle – never complete, always in process.


This is important to note. We don’t know perfectly what we know at the moment. We think we do; but we don’t. Finding the exact words that best express what we think or mean, is the result of a process.


So, let us review: the What is the core meaning we hope to express and share; the How is the process we struggle through to find that core meaning expressed in the best manner for common understanding among our group.


Left out of this is the Why.


What earthly purpose or value do we serve by expressing clearly what we have on our mind? Why is this such a big deal?


The What, the How and the Why. Expressed or not, these three elements are common to our communication behavior. Pretty basic, huh? Yes, it is. But it is not intuitively present in our minds when we engage this behavior.


The Why is the motive or purpose we engage in the sharing. To what end do we do this?


Each of us has to answer that for ourselves. I prefer to think I work toward better understanding among all of us. Understanding is the basis for knowing each of us as best we can. Understanding is the basis, too, of knowing how things work, what is logical, what is scientifically correct, factual. What is historically fact and truth. What facts are building blocks to knowing and understanding other, more complex thought structures?


This is the basis of education. How did we each learn how to add, subtract, divide and multiply? How then did we learn higher functions of math, like algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus? What historical understanding do I have of our nation, community, world or passage of time through the ages? How did I come to know this ‘story’ of time?


And religion? Theology? The ‘why are we here’ question of existence?


All of these why’s are really the what. The process is the how we come to know the what. But the why we do all of this, remains a core matter of our lives.


I am who I am. That is true of you as well. Explaining that to others clarifies identity. It builds common bonds to engage in exploring and discovering what surrounds us in life.


For each of us the why is our purpose in life. Large or small, it is a point toward which we strive. For each of us it is different.


It is important, though, isn’t it? The why is a private sort of thing. The core of who we are as individuals. It’s not the what or the how. It is always the why.


Ponder these things as we shelter in place. It’s a good way to pass the time.


And grow.


April 5, 2020