Making order out of chaos?

Writing an exploratory essay offers a very useful training in how to ask a question. As a student, we are accustomed to answering questions posed by others instead of asking questions ourselves. Asking questions is more difficult than answering because before one poses a question, he or she must first challenge certain assumptions or conventions or see certain issues from different approaches. Besides, when one tries to answer a question, s/he has a direction or goal in mind, but posing a question is like making order (creating a direction) out of chaos. There are too many questions one can ask. Which one is worth asking? Which one is worth exploring?

In this regard, Ramage et al. offer a useful suggestion: finding questions through controversial issues, such as gay marriage, immigration, health care reform and so on. These questions are often worth exploring because there is more than one answer to these controversial questions. The interesting thing is that we finally find a direction (a productive question) out of chaos but this question will not lead to any definite answer or bring about order. It only raises more questions because it is controversial. And this, I think, is the most interesting aspect of writing an exploratory essay. One seems to make order out of chaos by posing a question, but this question does not really create order. It possibly brings about another chaotic condition that prompts one to continue asking questions.  

    Boice’s suggestion of adding mindfulness to freewriting has the similar nature of making order out of chaos. He suggests that before we feel ready, we can do some freewriting. But this practice is easily given to excess so we can exert mindfulness to pause and reflect on our image-influenced freewriting. He argues that doing freewriting with mindful moderation can produce a clearer writing and image. But I am not sure if the process of switching back and forth between writing and image can really help foster a clearer writing or image. Could it possibly produce a vaguer picture when we pause and complicate what we freewrite? And a final question about Boice’s argument. How do we use our “mindfulness” and at the same time believe that we are not working (but just waiting actively)?