Who, what, when, where, why and how.
You could chart the known Universe with this question set. Every manner or matter of phenomena can be partly dissected and investigated using the above six words, which in turn illustrates their prolific efficacy in describing existence in its current form.
Like any active human being, I employ the above question set daily. All things considered, I believe it’s almost impossible not to use the six words listed above to chart your way through daily life. They’re useful to the point that I’d consider them constituent parts of Reality’s spine, such is their stated and unstated value.
Why, in particular, has been a source of endless contemplation over the years. Being more metaphysically-oriented, I’ve always taken Why to allay my confusion at the overwhelming nature of living, what with conflict, hypocrisy, and mellifluousness far more prevalent than many people wish to admit.
But recently I’ve taken an intellectual turn; Why has lost its stranglehold on my consciousness. Whereas before I’d always throw myself at the altar of Why things are as they are, I now shake my head and say: Does it actually matter?
I used to engage – actively and intellectually – with all phenomena, doing my utmost to describe them via words to garner deeper insight into their existence. Now I simply accept them, the same way I accept a tree in a forest or water in the ocean. Yes, these objects exist in their respective locations for specific reasons, but to utilize additional mental processing by asking Why seems a labor not worth the contemplative costs.
My reasoning may appear to be a form of intellectual – perhaps even evolutionary – atrophy; by removing the very key (Why) that opens doors offering practical and existential meaning to our lives, can our subsequent days be anything other than stagnant, regressive, or meaninglessness?
I think the answer depends on attitude. If a person follows their instincts with solid personal reasoning based on utilitarian good faith, I wouldn’t call that a downgrade; in fact, to me, this resembles conscious progress via self-knowledge. And self-knowledge is hard to come by these days, what with the seemingly endless manner of distractions around to annex reflective contemplation in favor of consumption, excessive entertainment platforms, and the empty promises of casual promiscuity.
Why should you continue reading this article? I don’t know. Why did I write this article? Because it flowed out of me. All the rest is filler – sparkly, interesting filler, in some cases – but filler nonetheless. Why definitely has a place in our lives, but it shouldn’t dictate them. And vis-à-vis the title of this article, Freedom from the Why? Maybe freedom means doing away with Why and seeing things for what they are rather than what they were or could be.