Why is this happening to me?

While we ask ourselves or others about something, the following questions need to be raised:

• What are the material constituents it is made up of ?

Classification in accordance with the elements it has. For example, our tooth is made of calcium.

• What moves it ?

Classification in accordance with its Motion and Mechanism – The mechanism in jaw moves all teeth.

•  What is it? What is its form ? – Physical and Metaphysical (Body and Soul)

Classification based on physical appearance, shape and internal structure – e.g. Molars.

•  For the sake of what? For what Purpose, Goal, Final cause it functions?

Classification according to End Result – The purpose of the teeth is for chewing.

The basic human faculty – due to our sensory perception – is to differentiate and classify between objects. Then we decide depending upon available choices.

Even if we may debate, we are mostly ignorant at the time of birth. We keep finding causes, keep gathering information and catalogue it all the time in the brain.

If we take other example, “My company – My workplace”, the questions may result in interesting answers.

• What does my company consist of?

All the Resources, Raw material (Metals, Wood, Plastics, Hydrocarbons, Chemicals etc.), Plant and Equipment, Work in Progress / Unfinished Products, Finished products, and Labour (that is made up of Calcium, Iron, Potassium etc.)

• What moves my company?

The Stakeholders – Board of Directors, Share Holders, Government/ Statutory bodies and regulations, Customers (Market Forces) move it.

• What is the company? What is its form?

This is tricky. What will tell you what is its form? That will be the facilities it appears to have, and the documented processes and procedures. You may also have to look at the Mission Statement and Vision Statement to get other answers.

• For the sake of what?

Any company’s goal is to remain profitable, and keep making money year after year, although some will deny it as the goal. Some companies may say we want to keep our stakeholders (employees, customers, statutory bodies) happy, while making money.  Have a look at the Company Policy statement.

The more you detail and crystallise each of the answers, you will get to know more about your company and workplace, its positive/negative areas and how it handles its resources. It will also answer questions as to why the company is not satisfied with employee performance or why employees are not satisfied with the returns, monetary or other, why stakeholders like customers, suppliers are not happy. You can then either improve yourself, or make a business case and suggest changes. But before that, get your analysis supported by peers and also by factual data.

Let us take another example – Fragrance. Now it becomes a bit knotty.

• What does fragrance consist of?

Chemicals in a smell/ fragrance.

• What moves the Fragrance ? What is the mechanism?

The glands in nose and the olfactory nerves to brain moves it.

• What is its form?

Rose, Jasmine etc. (knowledge we have gathered over the years). Or not like Rose, not like Jasmine. Or in worst case, I do not know, because I am ignorant or my nose is clogged!

• For the sake of what?

The purpose of a fragrance is to please the mind/ soul. The purpose of stink is to upset.

But this set of questions does not appear to be sufficient. Therefore an additional set is required, for defining sensory perceptions and virtues, a simily to food we eat and its use.

• What is that which is nourished? For whom is the Food for?

Nose (Olfactory system), our senses.

• What is that by which the nose is nourished? What is Nose’s Food?

The fragrance. All smells.

• What is that which actually nourishes the fragrance? Who actually makes use and gains knowledge out of the fragrance?

The brain (mind, soul).

We can arrive at different ways of questioning for finding the underlying causes. Most important are the above said questions, the sets….If—-Then, Why—-Therefore, Why—-Because, Why—-In order to, What is that—-, What is its form—-, What makes it move—-, What is the purpose/ goal/ end result—–, What is the proof ——. 

It is a good practice to always have a willing friend around,  who can find mistakes in our logic. But most importantly, a pen and a paper at hand. We can start from small exercises first, and then the complicated ones.

The Greeks have done most of all (although they sometimes quarrel with each other and confuse us lesser mortals, and sometimes go into bad debt).

All we need is the will to apply it to our situations and arrive at quick, common sense solutions instead of fussing over the black hole we are into. There is always a cause and a solution behind “Why is this happening to me?”

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