We all ask ourselves why we do what we do. But do we ever ask ourselves… why we ask?
At Pepperdine, we do.
We ask because to ask questions is to be human. Our ability to make observations, determine what we don't know, and uncover a solution has been the driving force in human achievement for millennia. We have an instinctive drive to seek truth, an unrestrained willingness to discover, and a divine courage to explore the unknown. Our capacity to ask questions—and to offer answers—uniquely informs our shared experience and the ways in which we transmit knowledge in our lives.
We ask because the academy has been the sentinel guarding over the right of inquiry for centuries. Life at the university allows us to encounter questions around mysteries unknown, and it requires daring experimentation alongside the fullest embrace of our intellectual curiosity. As we come of age in a culture of learning limited only by our imagination, we are presented with the opportunity to question everything we think we know and, maybe, who we think we are. Once inside these hallowed halls, we are invited to more deeply explore our place in the world, and when we are successful, we find the epiphanous revelation of our purpose, our passion, and our calling to serve.
We ask because the spirit of inquiry burns bright in all of us, serving as the highest response to God's invitation to explore and discover, to seek and find, the nature of all things. It is the spark to push us beyond our limits, to never stop questioning, and to reveal what's been within us all along. And once we think we've uncovered the precious knowledge of the world and the paths to which God has called us, the spirit of inquiry is the courage to boldly ask again.
Why do we ask? Because the search never ends. The pursuit is the purpose and each question prepares us for the extraordinary journey ahead.