The questioning spirit is good; it shows our eagerness to learn. Still, that doesn’t mean all questions are automatically good. Why not? Some questions are bad because they set up false binaries, thereby shutting the door to good answers. 

Suppose someone disagrees with us on an issue, and we ask them, “Are you disagreeing with me because you are headless — you have no intelligence — or because you are heartless: you have no decency or morality?” Such a question doesn’t leave any room for other valid possibilities; the person disagreeing with us may be better-informed or at least differently-informed than us about the issue. 

In the Bhagavad-gita’s first chapter, Arjuna voices his concerns about fighting in the Kurukshetra war. There, he phrases his objections as a binary: should I care more for my dynasty, including my venerable elders; or should we care more for a kingdom? Though he forcefully defends this line of thought (02.04-05), it only leaves him confused, even confounded (02.06). 

Thereafter, Arjuna makes his question more open-ended: “What is the right thing to do?” (02.07). This question opens his head and heart to a more unprejudiced examination of his situation in all its complexity. Being guided by Gita wisdom, he arrives at a more holistic vision of reality, a nuanced understanding of the stakes and a more balanced set of criteria for deciding the best course of action. 

While the technicalities of the Gita’s reasoning are not easy to grasp and beyond the scope of this short article, we can certainly grasp the universal principle illustrated by Arjuna’s transformation from confusion to conviction: if seeking the answer to a particular question is driving us only to a frustrating dead-end, we may need to change our driving question. 

One-sentence summary: 

No question is a bad question — except the question that leaves no room for good answers. 

Think it over:

  • Why is the questioning spirit good?
  • Why are all questions not good?
  • What can we learn from Arjuna’s transformation through Gita wisdom? 

***

02.07: Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of miserly weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me for certain what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.

Can any question be a bad question?

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