Why
Dear Diary,
Why. A small word with immense convolutions. I find myself devoting an inordinate amount of my thoughts on the whys and the possibilities extending from them. I have been accused more than once of being an “over thinker”. Most of us do gnash at and contemplate the whys and the what fors that emerge from the various situations that we are in. It is a mental exercise that can become quite elaborate and circular and often times useless. In some cases, of course, it is quite helpful to explore the why. For example, it is necessary to determine why a car is not functioning properly in order to fix it. But many whys exasperate and provide no meaning. Why is there suffering in the world? Why is there unkindness? Why did he do that? Why am I in this situation? Why did that random event happen to me? The field of psychology is based on trying to explain the whys. I have traveled that avenue for a brief period, and while I find it very interesting in a cerebral sort of way, I think too much emphasis is placed on the why and the blame. We can never really get concrete answers on the whys associated with the way people act and situations we find ourselves; it is merely speculation. I know that I tend to dwell on the whys and extrapolating on causes and outcomes from them, but these mental gymnastics can become obstructive and worrisome. Whereas it is prudent to consider the why, it is not functional to dwell on it. The important question is the action. What am I going to do about it? A better exercise is to study the hand that is dealt and play smartly with the cards that are held. Incorporate the new cards that are added, good and bad, and keep playing with confidence. Ultimately the why is not a viable factor in the game at hand. Let it go, discard what can be discarded, and play to win.
Dear Diary .... by Kellianne Sweeney 