Lurking behind the often simple questions of who, what, and where, comes the more complex why. “Why?” is the one word underlying everything we do. Sometimes we ask ourselves why, at other times we figure, why not? At times all we want to know is why, but soon even this question becomes irrelevant. Then it’s time to move on from the questioning, because the “why?” is often unanswerable. Ultimately, we’ll never really know why people do what they do, why we’re here, or why the world is the way it is.

Some why’s from the Six-Word community pose difficult, introspective questions, some are rhetorical, some questions are asked with the hope that their readers might have an answer. So explore the memoirs below: ponder on some, click on others to comment and provide an answer, or a question, in return. Whether the why is a question or the beginning of an answer, the word asks us to interact with each other.

Often lament WHY? Rarely care who.
— favepeep

Knowing what, learning how, remembering why.
— ba_miracle

Perplexed. Corner of how and why.
— canadafreeze

Sometimes, you need a reason why.
— ashashahn

Sometimes it actually doesn’t matter why.
— unknown116

Don’t tell me why, show me.
— CreativeMagus

And then I thought why not?
— HopeConquersAll

Don’t care. Why should I pretend?
— elobe6

If life is short, why wait?
— Romomo

Why are we as we are?
— Wench

Why is choosing happiness so hard?
— notjustagirlintheworld

Why was I not born earlier?
— EtherealBlue

Why should we hide our scars?
— Kae

Long-ago lover inhabited recent dream. Why?
— lovelylizard

Why does it have to end?
— SingleGal

Why did I open the door?
— Eneri

Why do you write six-words memoirs?
by BalancingAct

Why am I always the follower?
bydonttripme

He’s the reason, I’m the why.
— canadafreeze

Did his laundry. Don’t know why.
— DynamicDbytheC

What is gained by asking why?
— FrancisDiClemente

You know it. Why say it?
— Amapola

Never said bye. Never said why.
— Ambee66

I ask myself why every day.
— bellefiore