Just like that!

One of my nephews is three and a half years old now. If you have spent a good amount of time with a kid this age, you would relate to the fact that they ask a zillion questions. Or should I say they ask the same question a zillion times? As most things are new to them, kids look at everything with boundless curiosity. As such, I am now being barraged with so many WHYs on a daily basis. Upto a point I would answer his questions patiently, but then it gets down to basics where it becomes increasingly difficult to answer. These basics are something I always believed that I understood, but with one of his simple 'why?', he destroys my illusion in no time.

When it gets difficult to answer, I get angry. Because my ego is hurt! Is he teasing me? No! Because I can see the innocence in his face and these questions coming out of pure curiosity. Yet, that doesn't seem to be a very good reasoning. I try to console myself by thinking he is not old enough to understand all the nuances. How vain glorious I am!

But then he continues to look at me in search of a response. He asks why again, as if I might have missed his question the first time. And then I would say, 'Just like that!'.

It is not a well thought out answer. Nonetheless it seems to placate him for the moment. And then I think about it more. Theists may believe that god created the universe, and then humans, and then set them on a journey of finding their purpose, or fulfilling their destiny. But I am an atheist, and for me the universe exists, with neither beginning nor the end. Okay, I understand it is tempting to get into a debate at this moment. But let's not, just like that!

Now I am curious why kids want to know 'why?' and not 'how?'. Of course, when they start, they start with 'what'; what is this? what is that?. But each 'what' is flooded by a series of whys. Why is 'why' about a thing more important than 'how' about a thing? It seems so natural. Even as adults, when we encounter something new, something unknown, we concern ourselves more with why. Yes, we may start with 'what was that?!', but we quickly get into 'why was that so?'. Why? I don't know.

I rarely get time to play with my nephew. But whenever he catches me not working, he would pester me to sit with him and watch him play, and answer his questions. He would place all of his toy cars around and ask me what they are doing. I would say they are looking for friends to play with. He then asks me why? I would say, 'just like that!'.

Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash