Why should you read this article? Why does this article matter? Why am I even writing this down? The word 'why' is probably the least used question word that adults use, but it is arguably the most important word in the entire English dictionary.

Dictionary websites describes 'why' as “for what cause, reason, or purpose”. It can be the most frequently used word by a toddler, and their most important word; however it can also be the most annoying and avoided question by an adult. It can bring a sense of clarity and dread; it can also bring further knowledge and wisdom. In a sense, asking 'why' is critical thinking in of itself.

The word 'why' is a word that describes the purpose for something, gives clarity, implies motive, and digs deeper for meaning of something. Something my generation has lacked immensely. When it comes to history, politics, understanding someone, or even to understanding ones self, the question 'why' is never asked yet it can lead to many many answers.

Let us think for a second on what the question and word 'why' answers. How many people understand why the Middle East is so important to USA foreign policy? Well this is because O.P.E.C. promised to only sell oil with the US dollar if the United States provided security to their regimes. Well why was this? Because Nixon took the US dollar off the gold standard in 1971. This was to protect the US dollar from inflation that was being caused by the Vietnam war.

Other countries, led by France, started getting worried that the United States wouldn’t be able to back up their agreement within the Bretton Woods system which stated that all currency would be exchanged through the USA dollar which was fixed at 35$ per an ounce of Gold. Nixon took the world off the gold standard by removing the USA dollar from the gold standard. Now for people to get rid of the USA dollar they had to buy products in the USA or with US dollars which gave the dollar some value and helped our economy slightly.

The big boost came when the United States made a deal with O.P.E.C. to have O.P.E.C. only trade oil with US dollars in exchange for a military presence to protect them. This increased the demand for US dollars. The only countries, at the time, to not agree with the idea of selling in only US dollars was Iran and Venezuela. Recently Libya(2009) and Iraq (2000/2003) both tried to move off the USA dollar. Oil is what gives the USA its dollar value and since pre-70’s the middle east has been the biggest source for oil. Look how much we learned by just asking 'why'?

Now a little more personal…why are we scared of certain things? Do you know why we have developed that one phobia? Can you remember when you developed it? Sometimes your own mind will block out certain incidents because they impacted you so deeply in a negative concept. Sometimes to fight such fears you must take a good look into yourself and ask the question 'why'? Taking the time to reflect and asking why is super important with self growth. To understand yourself you must look into why you are who you are. Without understanding how your personality developed you cannot understand others. To figure yourself out you gotta ask the question 'why'? Why, do I like spending time by myself? Why do I love soccer? Why do I really like rap music? Why am I attracted to so & so? Or perhaps take a darker turn, why am I scared to start a family and why do I have such a fear of my father? Such questions can be painful to answer as well as difficult to answer, but are essential for personal development.

Scientists continuously ask the question 'why'. What would have happened if Newton, Tesla, Boyle, Kepler, Edison or even Fleming didn’t ask the question 'why' something is the way it is. This idea of the deeper concept given by the word 'why' is desperately needed in this day and age where false information is just a click away. To stay informed, to understand the world around us, to understand ourselves, to understand others, to understand anything we must ask the question 'why'. Now my question for you doesn’t begin with 'why', but it is just as important. Now that you know the importance of critical thinking and the question 'why', what will you do with such knowledge?