QUESTION ME AN ANSWER
The journey towards truth and enlightenment begins with the right question.
Recent experiences took us a roundabout way to our destination simply because we didn't phrase our questions properly.
Like when we hopped into a van to join the Manunggal Trek to commemorate Pres. Ramon Magsaysay's anniversary. With me were Judge P, Gingin and Kate. Now and then we'd stop to ask for directions, "which way to Mt. Manunggal?" Pretty soon we found ourselves at the parking lot of our destination. Judge P, our team leader, was clucking. "This won't do, we came here for a trek not a picnic." We should have asked, "Which way to the starting point of the trek?"
We thought we learned our lesson. When the Green Earth Mountaineers conducted a two-day cross-country river trek from Boljoon to Malabuyoc, the distance between the assault team and the sweepers was a wide margin of two to four hours. Imagine the bewilderment of the locals seeing mountaineers in colorful pants, bandannas, trekking boots, and cumbersome backpacks wandering around the countryside, lost and asking for directions to Tinubdan.
Nine out of 10, the people we asked gave the directions and distance in road terms. Everyone insisted we'd get there faster if we take the habal-habal. When we explained that this was a river trek they stared at us like we were missing some marbles. One old man berated Judge P, "unsa man ni'ng kalaki ninyo?"
Okay, so we explain everything at the risk of looking stupid just to make sure the person we are asking understand what we are trying to accomplish.
When an officemate asked for the English translation of "mibuto" I gave my answer while picturing a balloon, without clarifying the context or sentence she wished to use. Imagine the amusement of our boss when he received her memo reporting that the typewriter burst.
I went to a department store to buy suspenders. Not familiar with the lay-out of the men's section I asked a salesgirl where the suspenders are. She directed me to the second floor, where the shoes, bags, and ladies' sections are. I asked another salesgirl up there and she said it's in the center lobby of the groundfloor. There were only umbrellas, t-shirts, and bargain items there, but the merchandiser setting up the display counter advised me that the suspenders are in the basement. Now this is where the household and children's sections are located.
Exasperated, I looked for the first salesgirl and told her that suspenders are a men's item and they have got to be in this floor. She stared at me for a while, scratched her head then turned to her companion. In a low voice which I could still hear she asked, "what is a suspender?"
When Jane and I canvassed a shopping mall for a filing cabinet we were either directed to the wooden cabinets section or the display of plastic modular boxes to hold jewelry, kitchen, bathroom and hardware accessories. So at the third store we declared "we're looking for filing cabinets -- they're metal and they are the cabinets used for storing important documents in the office. The salesclerk led us to a safety box.
Sometimes it is the person who is asking the question who is completely clueless. Lysle often receives calls like this: "Ma'am we would like to follow-up our solicit." Since the office receives several solicitation letters everyday she asked who sent the letter. "We didn't send it Ma'am, we delivered it to your office yesterday morning and you received it." Trying another tack, she asked who signed it. "You did, Ma'am." Aaaaarrrrggghhh ….
And wonders of wonders, sometimes there is a meeting of minds even when the questions and answers are completely off tangent.
While discussing command responsibility Jane tried to make an analogy based on a film but couldn't remember the movie title. "Like Gene Hackman when he starred with … what is that movie again?" Kate responded eagerly, "Yeah, yeah, I know what you mean. It's that movie with Demi Moore." Gingin cut in "Pataka ka lang, Gene Hackman didn't appear in any movie with Demi Moore, it was Crimson Tide with Denzel Washington." Jane nods her head, "That's it, it was with Denzel Washington and it was about a US military base in Cuba." We all looked at her in amazement, "Jane, that was not Gene Hackman, that was Jack Nicholson." Then Kate gleefully declared, "See? I was right, Demi Moore was there!"
When Tom Cruise demanded "I want the truth!" Jack Nicholson sneered at him, "You can't handle the truth." No you can't, if you don't phrase your question properly.
December 10, 1998