I have spent a lot of time wondering to myself why people do the things that they do. I think it’s a natural question to ask as human beings, we’re curious. We’ve all been (or known) that incessant toddler, filled with the vigorous desire to get to the very bottom of why something is the way that it is. Dissatisfied with most responses, they ask repeatedly “But why? … But why? … But why?”. It is so important to them in that moment to understand exactly what is the structure of things, the origins, the motivation, the end-goal. I think that at some point, we lose this fervor for understanding the ‘why’s of the world. Instead of the bright eyed toddler we become the tired adult, eventually sighing and giving a final “that’s just the way it is,” signaling that we should now move on to think about other things.
Benson and Fischer suggest that this is because cultural values, knowledge and expectations become internalized over time (803). Once we learn the way that things are and we get comfortable with them being that way, everything becomes automatic. We don’t feel the need to ask questions anymore. Things just are the way that they are.
However, I believe that there are problems with this kind of complacency. In his episode of Chef’s Table, Enrique Olvera touches on one of the potential consequences of forgetting why we do things. He mentions that when he first got into cooking, he did it because he loved it. However, after going to culinary school and opening his own restaurant, it became less about enjoying the process and more about making quality food. Most would say that that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but he notes that it was only after he remembered his original ‘why’, and went back to having fun in the kitchen, that his restaurant really took off. I believe that knowing the true purpose of our actions is what drives our follow through and our quality of life.
Going back to asking the ‘why’s could also be a good starting place for decolonization.
Tamara Mitchell
November 3, 2020 — 2:03 PM
Your post really gets at the ways in which ideologies are naturalized. Curiosity–for understanding others, for understanding ourselves, for finding unexplored alternatives–sounds like an excellent place to start making our entrenched ideologies visible and, when necessary, changing those. As you observe with Enrique, the change is a fairly minor one. He didn’t scrap his business and go live in solitude in the countryside… he merely opened himself up to loving and appreciating the food and traditions of his people.
FernandaDiazOsorio
November 5, 2020 — 11:00 AM
Hola Coral!
I really enjoyed your post! I think we can apply your reflection to our daily life. I have also been questioning my purpose and the reason why I do the things I do. I feel that sometimes with school and life getting busy, it is easy just to keep going and doing the things that we need to do. However, if we do not have a clear why, it is easy to burn out, and to lose motivation. I really like your writing style. I hope everything is going great in Latin America.
Un abrazo muy fuerte,
Fer