I was at a traffic light with my son Caleb when he asked me a question that I had never thought of asking as a child.

“Dad, can cars go up in the sky?”

“No, but why do you ask?”

“Why then is the green arrow on the traffic light pointing up to the sky instead of pointing straight?”

“Hmm, that’s a really good question,” I replied as I explained a 2-dimensional world to a 3-year-old with no restriction in imagination. 

“Ohhh,” he exclaimed when he finally understood the answer a minute later.

Never once did I think of asking that question as a child when I saw traffic lights.

While I didn’t expect a kid to understand directions, I appreciated him for asking why things are done the way they’re done.

Especially in marketing, I feel that many of us often follow formulae and rarely stop to ask the most important questions – “Why?” and “Why not?”

Asking to know why helps us understand life better. 

Asking to know why always helps us be a lifelong learner.