We live in a time when it is good to ask Big Questions. One can be so busy, ever consumed with needs and the events of the hour, that we forget that our answers to big questions are the rudders of our decision-making as to what is and what isn’t important.
Here is a list of my Big Questions.
Is there a God or god and what is required once admitted or denied? This is perhaps the biggest question.
What is truth? Can it be known? Are there different kinds of truth?
What is love? Is it merely an emotion, or is it also a commitment? Is love sometimes a duty?
What is beauty? Is it merely a personal preference or is it something more permanent? Does your notion affect what you listen to, watch or other sensations?
What is justice? What is mercy? How do the two interact?
What is freedom? Is it license to do whatever I want, or is it freedom to pursue a greater good?
What makes for a healthy economy? Can it be controlled or is it too complicated?
What is the weather/climate all about? If it affects everything, can I affect it?
What makes a crime a crime?
Is war necessary? When and why? When is war excessive?
What is education all about? Why is it needed? Do I know enough, or do I always need to keep on learning? Who should control primary education?
Are the Founding Fathers to be emulated and venerated, or not?
On a personal level:
What is loyalty/fidelity? Why is it important?
How important is it to develop and maintain relationships?
What is the best posture towards those we disagree with?
Who is your neighbor?
What is civility?
What do I think about vocation? Is it merely to make money, or is it also to contribute and to serve?
How important is your time? Time is limited.
What is the best use of your time?
What makes a good leader? Is it character, competence or both?
How important is money? Can the desire be excessive? What is poverty? Is there a middle road? What is contentment?
Is debt always bad?
Is marriage a good thing? What makes a marriage work?
Can divorce be avoided? How?
Are children a gift or merely an expense?
What habits are good? What habits are bad?
How important is rest? How important is sleep? What is the difference?
How important is fun?
How important is your health?
Finally, what do I make of death?
You may have other Big Questions. That is good. Perhaps the best way to approach the Big Questions is this. Is there such a thing as a “good life”? What does that mean? How will I know it? What should I work for?
Reflecting on these questions is never a waste of time. Life has been enriched as humans have wrestled with them. The world seems almost out of control to many. The solutions lay in these types of questions and in the work we do to live them well.
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Doug Daugherty