Did you know that for a long time, pineapple juice was simply thrown away! It was seen as a waste by-product while canning the fruit. Till someone figured it might have some value. An interesting example of the importance of questioning established perspectives and practices.
Making something a holy grail, just because ‘that’s how it is done’ is a surprisingly strong human tendency, given that so many practices have outlived their relevance or been found to be clearly counterproductive.
Take the debate on firecracker pollution during Diwali, and the defence and defiance in the name of ‘religious sentiments’.
We perhaps get too carried away about ‘rules’ in the name of culture, tradition, best practices, sentiments…call it whatever. Forgetting, that most of these are practices created by humans like us, often without much thought, lesser knowledge or in completely different contexts.
The holier the grail, the higher the potential value in at least questioning it with a ‘what if’ mindset.
When was the last time you questioned something for the first time?