by lil

The author asks his old professor about the purpose of college. She says,

It is for developing the muscle of thoughtfulness, the use of which will be the greatest pleasure in life and will also show what it means to be fully human.

What about "thoughtfulness" then, here on "a thoughtful web"?

I wonder about how one becomes thoughtful. Can thoughtfulness be taught? I think so - I hope so. Hence, I believe questions are more important than answers. Questions invite thoughtfulness; answers deny it.

Did I learn thoughtfulness in school -- any of the schools from kindergarten to graduate school? Or did I learn thoughtfulness growing up in a family that asked questions. For example, when my older siblings and I were growing up, my father would ask each of us at mealtime: What did you do today for the benefit of humanity?