Five Whys

Five Whys is a common management tool used for identifying root causes to a problem. It is all about asking “Why” repeatedly till you come to the real root of the problem. Five Whys is also Yogs favorite technique to understand the world around him. This is how most of our conversations, these days, go:

Yog: Why do I have to wear a sweater today?

Mama: Because it is cold outside.

Yog: Why is it cold?

Mama: Because it is winter season.

Yog: Why is it winter season?

Mama: Because the earth has tilted away from the sun.

Yog: Why did the earth tilt away from the Sun?

Mama (thinking a simple way to explain this to Yog while driving to his school): Yog, we reached the school. I will need to explain this to you again.

We approach the school gates and the school staff reach in to take Yog from the car.

Yog (still full of questions in his mind): Will it be winter on Saturday also?

Mama (sighing): Yes Yog, it will be winter on Saturday as well.

Yog: Why Mama?

With that final Why, he is whisked into the school by the school staff. I start to drive off smiling at his inquisitiveness and wishing I had more time to explain the revolution of the earth to him. Slowly I start to wonder, if he did not have to go to school to learn  Maths, English and Science, and I did not have to go to work to earn enough money for his school fees, we would have all the time in the world to learn not only Maths, Science, History, and Geography but much more about all forms of life around us. That, I suppose is the biggest Why of my life!