inquire within

Have you ever noticed that, when faced with a big decision, you ask yourself questions? And when you have found yourself asking those questions, did you notice that oftentimes the answers are, in fact, themselves questions? Or that non-question answers only lead to different questions?

Extrapolate this decision-making process over a period of time. A day, a week, ten months (give or take). Do you notice that you come around to asking the same questions later, even though you have already answered the questions or deemed them to be inconsequential to the situation or just plain unanswerable? Do you find yourself frustrated for repeating questions, even though, logically, you're merely being thorough, contemplating all the details?

During this internal discourse, do you ever speak the questions aloud? To yourself? In the car or shower? In the house when no one else is home, except maybe the cat, and you honestly think that you may get at least a little feline sympathy, even if you're not getting answers?

Do you ask the questions of another person? If so, do you ask rhetorically, or do you genuinely want to hear how the person would answer the questions? Or do you just want to hear your own voice in the presence of someone other than yourself? Does the person listening to your questions try to answer them, or attempt a few active listening skills culled from a college interpersonal relationships course? Do you feel burdened if the person is compelled to inject opinion and formulate an answer (i.e. suggestion, advice), or if the person isn't really listening at all? I mean, really, didn't you just want a sounding board? Or were you really looking to get a fresh perspective on these questions that haunt your soul?

At what point, do you stop asking questions?

And once you've finally reached the point of making the decision and implementing it, do you analyze how effective it was to have asked all of those questions, in all of those circumstances, and to all of those listeners (feline and otherwise)? What conclusion do you draw? Was it worthwhile to ask the questions? Faced with another, equally vexing dilemma, would you repeat the process? Faced with a friend or family member in the same position, how would you respond if you were the one being asked the questions instead?

P.S. Only 22 questions in this post. A drop in the bucket.