Today, I turned 36, and I sat down to reflect on how I have always stayed relevant to the current times in my life. The answer is simple: I seem to have learned the art of seeking answers.
Thedal (தேடல்) is a beautiful word in my native language, Tamil, which means “seeking”.
I believe the biggest skill one can develop in their life is the ability to seek answers. Learning that is quite simple, and it starts with a simple question:
“Why?”
This simple word is possibly the most powerful attitude in your life. Asking a lot of questions is the way to seek what you want in life. For example, I have this habit of asking myself every night, “Why did I say what I said?” This helps me understand myself even better, and change myself for the better when I feel I have said something wrong.
Over the years, I have developed a better relationship with myself, which eventually helps my self-confidence, morality, and my ability to develop empathy for others.
I see people around me, especially the ones who are younger (the phone-first generation), and it scares me quite a bit. If the entire view of society, and people are based on the algorithms that feed them, I see this as a busted engine on a rocket ship. I really hope something changes where people love seeking answers to their questions, and not just get answers fed to them without any thought.