Question Authority Only by questioning accepted wisdom can we advance our understanding of the world

Questioning things, customs, rules and regulations around us is healthy for a person, a country and as a human as a whole. Accepting the facts spoon-fed to us by our ancestors or our leaders without thinking over it is not at all healthy for human kind. Questioning the authority brings about a sense of understanding and improvement in our methods to approach the world problems.

Curiosity is the mother of all inventions and basis of all understanding. Following the same system for centuries without putting questions like why, how, what or where leads us nowhere. We as a civilization would not have progressed so far as we have done right now. For example, the priests and the church taught people that earth was a flat land. But a few genius brains questioned this belief and challenged it, eventually proving that earth is a sphere. After this breakthrough understanding achieved through questioning the authority, the field of astronomy and physics progressed at lightning speed. What if newton had not questioned the ‘why did the apple fall down only’? Then our laws of gravitation would not have been formulized which help us in our understanding of universe and physics.

Being iconoclastic helps in nurturing the system. Not following traditional customs and questioning the centuries old belief would have kept us in the stone age. There was a tradition in Hindu religion that widows were set on fire along with the bodies of their dead husband called ‘Sati Pratha’. In modern times, as education spread and thinkers challenged this dictatorial ways, this tradition was abolished which saved the lives of millions of innocent women.

Questioning governments, institutions, systems and authorities help to curb the nuances in them. Any democracy can function properly if it is kept in check by its attentive citizens. Citizens keep a watch on the corruption and policies and question wheneve they suspect foul play.

Curiosity and a desire to know is what seperates humans from animals. Animals, wild or domestic follow same ritual in their lives living in the same way as they did for millions of centuries. Where as humans have evolved, become civilized and gained knowledge by questioning the wisdom. It was the Human intelligence which gave us the ability to think and question which has has made us supreme beings on this planet.

It is only by questioning the authority that we can advance our understanding of the world and universe. Question authority to be a step ahead.