November 17, 2012 – Sapphire Sky

One of the many blessings of children is their fresh perspective on all things. Being around children and getting down to their level quickly re-introduces the novelty, beauty and amazement of the world around us. Emblematic of the child’s wide eyes to the world is the stream of continual questions that pour forth from the mouths of children as they explore the wonders of creation.

At some point, we as adults stop asking questions as a general rule. Do we stop seeing the novelty and wonder all around us? I wonder whether we feel that being “grown up” means knowing “the” answers. Sometimes asking a questions almost feels like an admission that we’re not smart enough to know the answers. Perhaps we get to fixated on our “problems” or are too distracted by what we know. Maybe now there isn’t much of a need to ask questions – just “Google” it!

In any event, a few years ago, my family and I had a race to see who could be the first to write down 100 questions – real questions to which the author didn’t know the answer. We never finished that competition. Why? I don’t know! Recently, I ran across my list. I removed those that I now knew the answer, didn’t “Google” any of the answers, added a few new ones and publish it below. It’s a fun game to play. I’d enjoy hearing some of your questions also.

Where do pimentos come from?
What exactly is a quark?
How long were Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden before the fall?
What’s gravity?
Why do we only sometimes bight our own lips?
Who discovered Pi?
Who discovered apple pie?
How is asphalt made?
How does hair detangler work?
If a light bulb, or a star, moves away from you at or above the speed of light, would you ever see its light, if you remained stationary
Why can heart problems cause fluids to build up in the lungs?
How does a digital clock keep time?
How is sunlight “converted” into energy or food for plants?
What’s the difference between an extern and an intern?
Would Jesus like spicy food?
What is the difference between “orthodox” and “heterodox”?
What is the difference between “scenic” and “picturesque”?
Did Jesus laugh often?
How do vocal chords articulate words?
How do you navigate a boat by only stars and the sun?
How does cancer kill you?
Where do we “see” – it feels like my eyes, but am I visualizing deep inside my head?
How do circuit breakers work?
If God is infinite and all-powerful, has he likely created an infinite number of realities?
Why was Socrates put to death?
Will there be shadows in heaven?
How do you steer a ship by trimming sail when you lose a rudder?
How are multi-layered ice cream cakes mass-produced?
Do stick bugs hear? Do they make sounds? If so, what do they sound like?
Will the dollar collapse within the several years?
If the dollar collapses, will the United States stay united?
What are the requirements for fog?
How does the mechanism within a bedroom window shade work?
What “is” the “substance” of gravitational force? Electro-magnetic force?
What is the “dell” in “the farmer and the dell”?
From where/what did the name “Wales” derive? Anything to do w/ whale fishing? Did the ports in Wales support whalers?
From where/what did the name “Rome” derive?
How does a computer “read” code?
What is thought?
How do harmonic scales “work,” such as the “C” scale? Who “invented”/discovered the scales and why is there no such “thing” as an F-flat?
Why does the ocean “draw out” prior to the arrival of a tidal wave or tsunami?
Is a clam self-conscious?
What causes a vapor lock, and how does it occur, if at all, in a residential HVAC system?
How did people use horse hair or cow hoofs 100 or 200 years ago?
How is it determined which Sunday is Easter?
Why does carbonated water “fizz” and how is the carbonation created?
Why does “shaking” carbonated beverages increase the rate of “fizzing”, and does tapping the top retard this effect, and if so, why?
Why do bubbles form in a glass of water left out for several hours?
With what to hummingbirds line their nests?
Are we there yet?