Before you view the photos or read further, I have two questions. Is there a time or topic where you should not ask why? Is there any belief that you will not change?

These two questions haunt me. I have lost friends because of the way I apply my answers to these questions. Regardless of how delicate or tactful I am in pushing others' comfort zones, people can only handle so much when challenging personal dogma. In our current culture, there is a pattern where young folk who grow up within a structured religion, often introduced by their parents, at some point rebel against the given structure. When this happens, the parents either leave and are guided by the adopted ideologies of their kids, or they invest deeper into their religious structure. Regardless of the result, it does not seem like either party is looking past a personal disliking for whatever system they rejected. In both situations, there is a missing component on both sides. Asking why will aid both parties in discovering what is beyond their disliking for various ideals. If this questioning reveals only surface-level reasoning, then the logical conclusion is that reconciliation is possible. Once reconciliation is the goal, the hard work begins.

'Why' is one of the riskiest questions we can pose. I have witnessed instances where children are in an unrelenting barrage of 'why's.' From an early age, we yearn to understand and know more. It seems as though cultural or social conditioning attempts to clear those questions from our vocabulary. Where it most tragically happens is within the modern school systems, but that's another conversation.

The second question pairs with the first. If we are unwilling to ask critical questions then it is more likely we are incapable of changing our beliefs on most issues. From my experience and observations, there is nothing more dangerous than someone unwilling to change their mind. Most people like to think of themselves as open-minded. However, it feels as though we are in one of the most close-minded times in history. I'm not referring to either side of a political, religious or any other spectrum. I'm referring to everyone, including myself. In the western, wealthy nations, we have indulged the paramount, individualized experience of life. As a result, we no longer need to humble ourselves or see an alternative perspective to leave peaceably with others. As Dr. Peter Rollins has expressed, "war is the result of our inability to have conflict." The cultural warmongering toward unified thinking has, ironically, created toxic division and broken relationships. Long gone seem the days of living within a conflict or having the integrity to persevere through it. The current trajectory of cultural resilience is grim. But I hope we return to the time where we trust and care enough for those around us to engage in healthy, reconcilable conflict.

I want to provide two suggestions that will make your life more difficult. Never stop asking why, and hold beliefs with an open hand. Asking why may have to happen in your mind to maintain relationships with anybody, but finding healthy friendships that can tolerate a bit of Socratic dialogue will be priceless. Additionally, holding beliefs with an open hand allows us to be malleable and adaptive people. As a result, we become a resilient culture that can transform and share in the struggles of reality.