It's a question we like to ask, maybe to get out of work, do something crazy, be cool, or out of curiosity. However, I felt that the mere question, "Why not?", has a deeper meaning than it suggests.
Lately, my friends and I have been using "Why not?" as a question that shakes our foundation in who we are. Yes, that sounds like an overstatement (and it is), yet in our little banter, I kept thinking how "Why not?" reminded me of the ending scene from
We Bought a Zoo. The scene begins when the father retold the story of how he first met his wife to his children, even though his wife has passed away. Even though I watched the later half of the film, this scene stood out to me, as if it made me believe that there is hope in the future, despite the uncertainty wrapped around it.
If you want the short version of the scene, here is it. ( 2 minutes) However, if you want to see the ending of
We Bought a Zoo, here it is (8 minutes). If you have not seen the movie, then remember,
You only need 20 seconds of Insane Courage. (Did I mentioned Matt Damon played in it?)
Anyway, the lines that resonated in me was when the father saw his wife and exclaimed
"Why would an amazing woman like you even talk to someone like me?"
"Why not?" she smiled.
Every time someone replies back by saying, "Why not?", I keep thinking of this scene as if "Why not?" has a mystic allure to question our reasons, beliefs, and fears. It's nudges me to be more open minded and aware of the world around me while letting go of my fear of the future. I remembered when I was choosing between which university I wanted to go, I felt I was being pulled apart as I thought about how my decision is going to affect my life's course. My father came to me privately, and we both prayed together. Usually my father prays by himself, so it was one of those quiet moments when we looked towards God together as father and daughter. I was carrying a worry in my head, crying, "Should I go to UC Berkeley? I'm afraid God." Suddenly, a clear voice spoke to me, questioning me, "Why not take the risk?" By then, I already knew my answer and realized that I was simply afraid to choose what to do with my life. I wanted an easy answer, but I learned that finding the answer entails risks and questioning our intentions.
In a sense, we're all scared to move forward.
To let go of the past that seemed to define us.
To let go of our regrets.
To let go of our pride.
To let our walls comes down.
And yet asking "Why not?" seems to shift our perception.
We already know there're already a lot of negativity in the world in which most people felt that it's hopeless to fight against "society." However, our perspective cannot be rock solid without the important process called growing. Whenever I thought about people claiming they're loosing faith in humanity, it reminded me of an article my 10th grade English teacher gave us in the beginning of the school year. It was called "
Always on the side of the egg" spoke by Haruki Murakam. It talked about how those without power to defend themselves or voice out and act their ideas are the egg. The opposing view, often portrayed as society, System, government, they, everyone, etc, is the wall. Who will win? The egg or the wall?
But the real question should be how would they win? It always seemed that the unemotional, impenetrable juggernaut will always has the upper hand, unless those who are weak are willing to fight back.
As Murakam aptly said, "Between a high, solid wall and an egg that breaks against it, I will always stand on the side of the egg... Each of us is, more or less, an egg. Each of us is a unique, irreplaceable soul enclosed in a fragile shell. This is true of me, and it is true of each of you. And each of us, to a greater or lesser degree, is confronting a high, solid wall. The wall has a name: It is The System. The System is supposed to protect us, but sometimes it takes on a life of its own, and then it begins to kill us and cause us to kill others - coldly, efficiently, systematically...I have only one thing I hope to convey to you today. We are all human beings, individuals transcending nationality and race and religion, fragile eggs faced with a solid wall called The System. To all appearances, we have no hope of winning. The wall is too high, too strong - and too cold. If we have any hope of victory at all, it will have to come from our believing in the utter uniqueness and irreplaceability of our own and others' souls and from the warmth we gain by joining souls together.
Take a moment to think about this. Each of us possesses a tangible, living soul. The System has no such thing. We must not allow The System to exploit us. We must not allow The System to take on a life of its own. The System did not make us: We made The System."
So, let's begin to fight back.
Why not take the risk?
You never know until you try with all you got.
