Head First

Ready to take another plunge into the depths of deep thinking? Imagine it as diving into the vast ocean of your thoughts. Remember when your teacher asked you why something is the way it is? Let's take a head-first deep dive.

Your younger self may have asked endless “why” questions during your preschool years. Questions that begin with the word, why, force your brain to think more deeply. Check out the difference between these two questions:

1. Is the weather hot today?

2. Why is the weather hot today?

Number one has an easy answer: either yes or no. Number two makes you think more deeply. It would help if you used that wonderful start-off word–because.

Yes/no questions are helpful at times:

Are you okay? You can pretty much answer that one on auto-pilot. If you answer no, the person asking follows it up with, “What’s wrong?” And then, you need to think deeply.

Let’s return to question number 2–why is it hot today? You answer–because it is summer.

Okay, why is it summer? Here’s an answer:

Because … I’m watching baseball, a summer sport.

Now, focus your deep thinking on the weather:

Why is it summer?

Because … I live in the northern hemisphere. The snow has melted, and my dad is having trouble starting the lawn mower.

The answers get longer the more you ask, “Why?” The longer the answer, the more you have to think and the deeper you go.