If you’re a scientist, a secular humanist or a spiritual chick, you are. Scientists depend on the scientific method (based on hypothetical inquiry) to find answers to the mysteries of Nature; secular humanists use critical reason (not doctrine, tradition or faith) and factual evidence to seek solutions to human problems; and spiritual chicks (and guys) question everything to gain spiritual understanding. Questioning is at the heart of the evolutionary process, which gets jumpstarted by honest and open inquiry into the status quo and accepted beliefs.

Newton’s theory of gravitation began as a thought experiment based on a question about why things stay in orbit; suffrage for women came about due to the critical reasoning ability of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and their public questioning of the belief that women and men were somehow different with respect to the political process; and the many modern spiritual approaches that emphasize questioning and personal spiritual inquiry over rigid belief systems are the heirs of doubters such as Jesus’ disciple Thomas from the Gospel of John who when told that Jesus had risen from the dead, said: "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." (John 20:24)

To questioners, Thomas is a kindred spirit, a rational person investigating outrageous claims before signing on as a believer, but traditional Christianity (like most other religions) values belief, obedience and conformity over questioning and direct experience and views him in a negative light. For millennia, expressing doubt or asking questions about the status quo has been grounds for persecution. From Jesus to Wilhelm Reich to the women murdered by Taliban fundamentalists in Afghanistan, questioners have had to stand alone against the weight of orthodoxy---religious, scientific, or social---in the search for truth.

It’s bad enough that we questioners expect to be shunned by those institutions that require blind faith, but what’s even worse is that we Doubting Thomases don’t stick together. If all questioners were magically transported back to the days of the inquisition, we’d all be facing charges of heresy and facing death---scientists, secular humanists and spiritual chicks alike. But while we’re all enemies of orthodoxy because we share the practice of questioning, we don’t see each other as natural allies. Most scientists scoff at claims of the paranormal; social reformers often can’t tolerate a spiritual approach to problem solving; people who consider themselves spiritual often feign moral superiority and deride both science and people involved with social and political issues.

At the core of the One Life Principle is the idea that one great life force created us all. No one has a monopoly on Truth and all areas of life are open to investigation. The next time we stick our noses in the air believing that we have all the answers, let’s perform a thought experiment. What would the world look like without:

• Einstein’s great achievements;

• All the men and women who work tirelessly to end injustice and inequality;

• The Dalai Lama’s example of love and compassion for all living beings?
  

We’re all on the same playing field. If we questioners start playing like a team, maybe we can create a better and more tolerant world.