You sit in a chair, a comfortable one, and there you are, on your own. You’re just not in for conversation, but at the same time you do not want to mull over the same old thoughts again and again. That is the perfect moment for some armchair questions.

Well, I don’t mean questions like “What is the meaning of life?” or “How can you be sure you exist?”. They’re pretty boring, I would say. Here are some you may find more challenging and more fun.

1. What would chairs look like, if our knees bent the other way?
2. Why do we say that your nose runs and your feet smell?
3. Is there another word for ‘synonym’?
4. Are you sure you like peanut butter?
5. How does a pain killer know where the pain is?
6. If 11 x 11 = 4, does it follow that 33 x 33 = 36?
7. Does a refrigerator work, when it is below zero?
8. Do you understand yourself?
9. Are there questions you can’t ask?
10. How short can a short conversation be, and still be a conversation?
11. Can you think backwards?
12. Can music get wet?
13. When you say ‘duck’ but mean ‘pigeon’, who will find out?
14. Do people have the right to behave stupidly?
15. What is my favourite armchair question?

 

[Pieter Mostert, 30 March 2020]