Is there really no such thing as a stupid question?

Dearest Readers,

Is the title of this blog entry a stupid question in itself?
Clearly I would not have asked it if I considered it to be one as it human nature to judge people in accordance with the questions they ask!

It has often been suggested you should never feel shy to ask a question because there is definitely at least one other person present who is gagging to ask precisely the same question but is simply too shy and thus by you asking this question, you will benefit both yourself and the people who also had the same question also.

I am not one to subscribe to this logic. This is not to say that you should not ask your questions but rather you must contemplate the relevancy your question has to the discussion going on at the time.

For example, if there is a conference on how to improve your sales skills, you shouldnt ask a question on whether God exists!

This is not to say that the question on the existence of God is stupid or that the person who is answering the questions is not capable - or in fact that no other people have the same question and would love to know the speakers thoughts on this issue - but rather that this should not be asked because this question does not belong in this particular conference.

Likewise if there a bunch of trainspotters holding a meeting and one asks the other how many trains have you counted in the last 2 weeks, what were their colours and how many carriages did each one have? - it is not stupid because it belongs in that meeting although it wouldnt necessarily belong in any other meeting anywhere else on earth or even mars!

Thus - the answer to my own question is that there really well and truly is no such thing as an inherently stupid question but rather there are perfectly intelligent and logical questions which are posed at a time and place which they dont belong rendering the illusion that it is the question itself which is stupid.

Peace.