Why. If you are a stickler on punctuation you’ll notice I didn’t put a question mark after my why. Why? Because I wasn’t asking a question until just that last why.  I was announcing what I want to talk about today, which is the topic why.  I feel like this word ‘why’ is a dying art form.  When we are kids we ask why all the time, and for some moms (not me) the word drives them up a wall.  But somehow kids have it right.  They want to get into the center of the golden circle of every topic on life.  That golden circle is the why. 

Though I’ve always loved asking why, I didn’t make up the concept of the golden circle.  One of my all time fav Ted Talks is by the well known Simon Sinek. This talk is always on the list of top 25 Ted Talks for a reason.  In the 18 minute video Simon explains how leaders, companies and brands can increase effectiveness.  By using the analogy of a golden circle with three rings, the outer most ring being what, second being how and the inner circle being why, there will be better success if they work from the inside out. He uses Apple Computers as the best example of using the why first. “People don’t buy what you do or how you do it,  but why you do it”.

I’ve been very open on here and all my social media channels about my why. What I do is that I am a chef. How I do it is cooking with the skills I have and the equipment and ingredients available. But why I do it sets me apart from any other chef or food blogger out there. Why I do anything in life is because my purpose is to spread love. It is my response to everything. And it is because I don’t want the hate that has been inflicted on me in my life to continue any further. So I choose love.  LOVE is my why.

Last Monday night, one week ago, a horrendous terror attack took place in Manchester following an Ariana Grande concert. It was pure hate. I haven’t been able to come on here and post anything as I keep asking why? Why did this happen? Why does violence continue in this world? With so many heavy hearts why would I go on Snapchat and do my Woman Crush Wednesday episode? As fate would have it, I was in tech heck and didn’t have access to wifi anyway. But it reminded me of the time after the terror attack in Istanbul that I not only did a Woman Crush Wednesday but I chose Silvena Rowe a female chef of Turkish decent.  As if to say, in your face evil!  Because I wanted to fuel the light.

I’m not the only one who has felt numb and unable to write.  My very first Woman Crush Wednesday Susan Jane White posted on her Instagram yesterday a poignant piece about whether her place as a food writer was relevant given the state of affairs in the world. I think food is a common connection we have as humans and breaking bread with another is an act of humility. I’d like to hope somehow sharing a meal could lead to world peace. But even Quincy Jones pointed out in his Instagram post that music as an art form has the ability to unite humans and lifts spirits! Social media is indeed another way to spread LOVE!

So rather than focus on which of the latest social influencers are either getting botox or grandstanding their exit from Snapchat, I want to focus on others out there trying to use social media to make a positive difference in the world. My friend and Snap Sista the fashion illustrator Holly Shortall lost a friend of hers, Martyn Hett, in the Manchester bombing tragedy. She is using her artistic talents along with her giving heart.  She created an illustration of Martyn and it’s been made into a t-shirt for sale with all proceeds being donated to Martyn’s family. Or my friend Eimer Morrissey who yesterday completed a 24 k fundraising trek for Barrettstown.

While we may never know why people do what they do or why certain things happen, we can still ask the question. We MUST ask the question. I hope why never becomes an antiquated word. I don’t want society to just accept things without questioning.

On this Monday, which also happens to be Memorial Day in America, some may say why do we still have military forces. But with family members who have served and continue to serve, I am grateful for their bravery.  I’m so appreciative of all military who sacrificed their lives to save others. Freedom isn’t free. It is a sobering reminder when you walk among the crosses in a military cemetery. But like the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr (who was also featured in Simon Sinek’s talk), I have a dream.  And that dream is that one day every person will be able to LOVE one another.

Why, all we really need is LOVE,

YDP

P.S. Just a little FYI, probably the most important why you could ever ask is about yourself, “Why am I here on this earth?” The search to the center of that golden circle could miraculously change your life forever!