Ask More: The Power of Questions to Open Doors, Uncover Solutions, and Spark Change pdfdrive com

Did you ever wonder how can this be happening out there and ask
yourself, can I make them see what I am seeing?
Suddenly, this man of science fell silent. His lips trembled and his eyes filled
with tears. Finally he spoke. “I am actually laughing and crying at the same
time,” he said. “I have a lot of suppressed feelings from back then.”
He paused and gathered himself. And then he slowly erupted.
“The answer to your question is yes. There was a lot of, you know, ‘What the
fuck is going on here?’”
Another pause.
“It was not easy when you see everybody die. So I need to say this in a way
without getting more emotional about it. There were multiple years, from 1981
to 1986, where you wanted to keep a positive outlook. But everybody died.
Everybody died …”
He wiped his tears.
“That was probably one of the things that gave me the phenomenal energy to
get solutions. People say, ‘How come you didn’t burn out? You know, thirty-
three years and you kept on doing your work for seventeen, eighteen hours a
day.’ It was that kind of realization that this was an enormous problem.”

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He leaned forward and spoke deliberately, emphatically.
“And the thing that was, I guess, a little bit different was there was
something about—and I want to make sure I say it accurately—there was
something about the young gay population that was, I think, particularly tragic.
Because most of the time—and you never made judgments about your patients
and their personality—but in general, as a demographic group, they were gentle,
artistic, kind. There were very few assholes among them. There were a lot of
good, gentle people who were scared shitless. And for those years, they came in
and there really wasn’t a lot you could do for them …
“It was very painful and very frustrating, and the thing that got me to have
this response is—you are right, there was a lot of bullshit going on in the
outside. Not giving them insurance, throwing them out of their houses. And you
think what a shit world we live in.
“It is interesting that you ask that question,” he said to me. “I have not had an
emotional response to this in twenty-five years.”
Perhaps I looked away at that moment.
“Sorry. No,” he said. “It’s fine and it’s cathartic.”
Fauci’s comments sprang from his gut, raw and profane, triggered by a
single question that had nothing to do with the scientific method. He shared his
passion. He took me to the roots of his emotions and displayed his rage and his
frustration and his humanity. I felt privileged to have experienced the intensity
of this remarkable man. It was like stepping to the edge of a volcano and peering
over it to see the molten lava and feel the heat.
This book is dedicated to the curiosity and passion in us all. Questions are
humanity’s unique attribute. They are our investment in ourselves and in the
future. When we ask more, we open our minds and challenge others to open
theirs. We organize our thoughts so we can tackle big ideas and probe with
precision. We learn and lead and discover.
Questions are our way to connect with other human beings. I believe that
inquiry, not imitation, I believe that inquiry is the sincerest form of flattery. Ask
a good question and you convey interest. Slow down, listen closely, and ask
more and you engage at a deeper level. You show that you care. You generate
trust. You empathize and you bridge differences. You become a better friend,
colleague, innovator, citizen, leader, or family member. You shape the future.
You can’t ask for more than that.

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