'Why?' is perhaps the most important question in our lives. It drives change in every aspect. At surface level, 'Why?' is easy to comprehend and answer, but the depth of 'whys' that follows it is very delicate and takes a lot of work to understand and answer. Those layers are what differentiates a beginner from an expert, the willingness to delve deep into the layers of 'whys'.

Once you get into the layers, it becomes infinite and never ending. That is why the experts never think that their knowledge is good enough. You never come out once you are in the rabbit hole. The thirst of knowledge also becomes never ending when you are in it.

In the political context, corrupt politicians exploit our lack of 'whys'. It is easier to control a group of people when no questions are asked about the corrupt policies that enslave the people.

For instance, intellectuals were persecuted and numerous educational institutions were closed during China's Cultural Revolution. The curriculum was completely rewritten to emphasise Mao Zedong Thought and to remove any concepts that were considered counter revolutionary.

Academic freedom was restricted and educational possibilities were limited during this time. In the 1930s, Hitler gave little details on how he intended to accomplish his objectives. Rather than providing specific answers, his main goal was to evoke feelings. Germans were able to project their own hopes onto his leadership because of this ambiguity. Hitler took use of resentment even more by blaming minorities, especially Jews, for Germany's problems. He made them take the blame for the country's shame and economic downturn. This strategy used widespread animosity to mobilize support while diverting attention from the real issues.

Once you hand over the power of thinking to someone else, they will use it for their own benefits. Some of the manipulation strategies used by people, marketers, and companies are aimed at getting us to accept their offers. For instance, in relation to marketing and sales. Burger tried to sell a cupcake and two cookies for 75 cents to one group in his 1986 experiment. He told the other group that if they bought the cupcake, they would also receive two cookies for free. Surprisingly, the second group — which employed the that's not all technique — saw a 33% increase in sales over the first group.

Marketers are now skilled at gently swaying our decisions on what to buy. One tactic takes use of our FOMO, or fear of missing out. Limited availability cues such as "only 5 left in stock!" encourage urgency and impulsive purchases, according to research published in the Journal of Consumer Marketing [Kahn et al., 2018]. This strategy appeals to our emotional drive to stay ahead of the curve rather than our logical assessment of whether we actually need the thing.

Another strategy makes use of social proof. Celebrity endorsements and claims of "thousands of satisfied customers" can set off a bandwagon effect, as noted by Cialdini et al. (1995) in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Because we unconsciously respect other people's decisions, we are more inclined to accept the offer and feel secure in our selection. We can become more conscious consumers by identifying these strategies and comprehending the underlying psychological concepts, concentrating on our true requirements instead of falling for deceptive marketing gimmicks.

To sum it all up, 'why' is the single most vital question in our lives. It can change lives if used correctly. To give up asking why is to give up gaining knowledge and also giving up the power of choice to the people that might use it for their own benefit. So, start asking the question, 'Why?'.