But WHY?

When I turned eighteen, my dad wrote me a lovely letter. Among other things, it listed many things about myself that he said he was proud of. I remember him telling me that even as a young child, he found I never disliked anyone unless I could find a genuine reason for it. I remember being pleased he said that, and I hope it's still true.

I also remember him saying that whenever he would tell me things as a little girl, explain things to me, my head would turn and look towards the sky as I listened. It was my way of deeply concentrating, and guiding his words from my ears into the depths of my imagination where they would come alive. When I read that point, it rung true immediately and I had a giggle; I still catch myself doing that: turning and looking towards the sky whenever someone tells me something new or interesting.

You see, I'm a why girl. Are you a why person? I think a why person is someone whose mind hasn't quite graduated from the curiosity of a three-year-old. A why person is a natural snoop and is forever asking but why? When someone tells me something I often have to know more about it and hear myself rattling off twenty questions to the poor innocent soul.

So you'll *ahem* forgive me if I need to ask... why do I ask why?

By the way, I don't mean personal things... I'm not a gossip hound, although I'm always happy to help a friend when they need advice. I'm just talking about being naturally inquisitive about any subject at all. For example, a conversation with my boyfriend might go something like this:

B: The dogs were barking again last night.

Me: Oh no! Why?

B: Don't know.

Me: Do you think the neighbours were making noise?

B: Not sure.

Me: Do you think when one dog barks the other one just joins in, even if he doesn't know why he's barking?

B: Don't know. I suppose.

Me: Why does one bark so much louder than the other?

B: Bigger voice box, I guess.

Me: Why can dogs hear so much better than humans?

B: It dates back to their survival traits, I suppose.

Me: Why do you think our neighbours are so noisy?

B: NAT!

I think being a why person led me to become a journalist, and now, a writer. I'm like a sniffing dog who always needs to find more. To know more. To get to the bottom of everything and find the story and substance underneath. I need answers. And usually that answer leads to another question. It can be mentally tiring sometimes, and some days I'd give anything to be a surface person and not sink under the weight of my own thinking. But I have heard another term for a why person: a truth seeker, which leads to the path of enlightenment. I'm not quite sure what that has to do with noisy neighbours, but it sounds good, so I'll take it.

Are you a truth seeker? A why person? And if so, why?

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