Araz Gholami

A while back, while browsing the web, I stumbled upon a page titled “32 Unanswerable Questions.” The idea intrigued me. Are these questions really unanswerable? I started reading and quickly realized that most of them actually do have answers—at least partial ones. So, for fun, I decided to tackle them. Here’s my take.

1. When did time start?
Precisely 13.8 billion years ago, with the birth of the universe. Before that? Nothing.

2. Was math invented or discovered?
Math is a tool. It wasn’t discovered, but invented and applied to understand the world.

3. Where does a forgotten thought go?
Nowhere. It’s still in your mind; you’ve just lost the address. Meditation or hypnosis can help you retrieve it.

4. Do we have free will, or is everything predetermined?
Neither exists. We are like machines, reacting predictably to external inputs based on the wiring of our brains, formed by childhood experiences.

5. Is there life after death?
According to religions, yes. According to science, no.

6. Is it possible to experience everything objectively?
No. But a lot of it, yes.

7. What’s the nature of dreams?
Dreams are a mash-up of daily events being stored in long-term memory, and sometimes random bits being organized. They also include instinctive warnings meant to prepare you for potential dangers.

8. What’s the purpose of humanity?
Nothing. Humanity is a cosmic accident. There’s no pre-written goal, no master plan. You choose your own purpose—or not. (See question 4.)

9. How long after death will we be forgotten?
When the last person who remembers you dies. Unless you’ve left a lasting impact, positive or negative (think Einstein or Hitler), you’ll be forgotten sooner.

10. Which came first, the color orange or the fruit?
The fruit.

11. What is God?
To Abrahamic religions, God is the creator of everything. It’s undefinable because God is unlike anything else.

12. Who decided what’s right and wrong?
A mix of early tribal leaders, genetic instincts for survival, and religious followers. These moral codes don’t always align, and no one person or entity made the call.

13. What’s the point of setting goals if we’re all going to die?
Goals give you direction, and direction gives life meaning and positive moments. That’s the value.

14. What is freedom, and does it really exist?
Freedom is the absence of constraints. So, yes—technically. But given question 4, no, not really.

15. Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
The egg. A genetic mutation in the egg of a pre-chicken species gave us the modern chicken.

16. What makes you, you?
Your unique genetic sequence, your self-awareness, and your experiences.

17. What’s the right age to die?
There isn’t one. Life is amazing, and living things instinctively want to stay alive as long as possible.

18. How can we be sure we’re not just imagining everything?
We can’t. Reality and truth are two different things.

19. How much control do you have over your life?
Depends on the scale. The old saying rings true: You can’t control the situation you were born into, but you can control how you leave it.

20. Is the Earth alive?
No. Even viruses aren’t technically alive, and neither is the Earth.

21. Can good and evil be definitively defined?
Religions say no. Science says no, too. Good and evil are subjective.

22. If making mistakes helps us grow, why are we so afraid of them?
Because some mistakes can cost us dearly, even our lives. It’s natural to be afraid of that.

23. Can we do something purely out of self-awareness, or is everything externally driven?
Yes, self-awareness can drive actions. But no, not everything is external.

24. Why are you at this particular moment in your life?
You’re just seeing a point on your personal timeline. Based on where you started and the path you’ve taken, it’s inevitable you’re here.

25. Is being at this moment in your life your choice or destiny?
It’s a redundant question—see question 4.

26. Can two souls really exist in one body?
No.

27. If we’re supposed to follow the rules, why are there exceptions to them?
We’re not supposed to follow all the rules. We made them, and we change them when needed.

28. Will the universe ever end, or will it keep going?
The human race? The Earth? Both will end soon, relatively speaking. The solar system will end when the Sun runs out of fuel. The galaxy will end when the Milky Way collides with Andromeda. The fate of the universe is still up for debate.

29. Why do things exist?
Everything (matter, energy, and fundamental forces) came into being because of the Big Bang. Why the Big Bang happened remains a mystery.

30. What’s the purpose and meaning of time?
Time has no purpose, but we define its meaning as the sequence of events from past to future. It’s also the fourth dimension in theoretical physics.

31. Are human achievements eternal, or will they disappear when the world ends?
What do you mean by the end of the world? Our space probes may outlast the solar system, but eventually, with the death of the Sun and galaxy, even our most distant achievements will fade. Maybe our radio signals will persist for a bit longer.

32. Why do people have to die?
Aging, disease, and accidents cause death. If we could control those (e.g., wear a seatbelt before driving), death might not be necessary.