Rewrite Reality: Better Questions for a changing world

Welcome to Rewrite Reality, where we peel back the layers of how we imagine our world — then explore what it means to build different futures. I’m Gregg the Artivist. And on today’s episode, we’ll dive into Are These Really Your Questions?

Join me to reflect, challenge assumptions and spark possibility. Thanks for being here — let’s get into it.

So… you’ve probably noticed we talk a lot here about personal responsibility around climate change — you know, that constant “What can I do?” pressure that can feel… honestly, pretty overwhelming sometimes. Like the whole weight of the world is sitting right here on your shoulders.

But maybe that stuck feeling — where you don’t know what action to take, or where to even start — maybe it’s not you. Maybe it’s the questions we’re all asking.

Because when we only see climate through the big stuff — extreme weather, rising temperatures, the political shouting matches — it’s no wonder it feels out of reach. Like it’s happening somewhere else, to someone else… and definitely not something we can change from here.

but here’s a thing that we often overlook… we’re surrounded by questions every day. But most of them? They’re not really ours. We’re constantly being told what to think — who’s right, who’s wrong, what the so-called solution is.

But those quick answers that we’re being fed? They don’t reflect our reality… our families… our neighbourhoods. They’re designed for clicks, for headlines… for someone else’s agenda.

And we’ve kinda gotten used to it, right? We’re living in a world of instant answers, Googling something before we’ve even thought it through.

But with all those answers flying at us… when was the last time we actually stopped… and asked… the right questions?

Now that’s where I want to go today. Not answers. Just better questions. so Let’s dive in.

Quick answers feel good. They give us certainty. Closure. A way to avoid the messiness. And in our modern, busy lives — bombarded by endless questions and information — they let us tick a box and move on to the next thing.

But consider this for a moment: as adults, we ask fewer questions in real conversations… yet we ask far more of them instantly through Google or social media. Studies show around 50% of people turn to their social networks — Facebook, WhatsApp, whatever — to get instant answers.

That rush to “know,” to have the right answer, can blind us to deeper truths. Especially with something like the climate crisis — where real solutions are slow, their complex, and their community-based.

Sometimes the most honest thing we can say is: “I don’t know… yet.”
And that’s a more powerful starting point than pretending we’ve got it all figured out.

So I invite you to look a little closer… whose questions are we actually repeating?

Are they the media’s panic headlines? Politicians’ culture wars? Corporate greenwashing campaigns?

Think about this: preschool children ask up to 400 questions a day. But once they start school, it plummets — from a question every two minutes to less than one every couple of hours. That natural curiosity? Slowly squeezed out… by systems, by expectations, by what we’re told to care about.

If the questions we ask don’t come from us — from our communities, from our realities, from our sense of injustice — the answers we get will never truly work for us.

If we want real change, we have to reclaim the questions. That’s where it starts.

So what are the questions that actually matter?

Too often, we get stuck asking things like “Who’s winning the next election?” or “How do we fix climate change?” — huge, overwhelming questions that feel impossible to answer on our own.

But sometimes the most powerful questions are small, local, and personal. For example:

“What would make my neighborhood safer in a flood or heatwave?”
“Why is it so hard to get fresh food where I live?”
“Who’s being left out of decisions around here — and why?”
and “What gives me, my friends, my family… a sense of meaning and connection?”

These aren’t side questions. These are climate questions. These are justice questions. Because a healthier planet starts with healthier communities.

Big change happens when enough of us start asking the right small questions — right where we are.

So why asking better questions doesn’t just help us understand the world… it helps us evolve.

We don’t grow by shouting answers louder. We grow by slowing down, reflecting, listening, imagining.

When we ask deeper questions about injustice, about community, about belonging — it rewires how we relate to ourselves and others.

It’s no coincidence that the systems causing the climate crisis also teach us to stop asking questions. Because injustice thrives in silence… or in manufactured outrage.

But curiosity? Curiosity breaks that cycle. Curiosity opens doors to alternatives, to solidarity, to regeneration.

Better questions aren’t weakness — they’re the first step in shifting culture. And that shift can ripple outwards — from you, to your street, to the world.

So If you have been wondering where to start asking or how to start asking better questions, here’s one simple tool:

Whenever you catch yourself thinking “Why is it like this?” — ask instead something like this:

“What would it look like if it were better?”
“Who benefits from it being this way… and who pays the price?”
and “What could this look like if it centred care, community, and the planet?”

You don’t need to be an expert to start asking better questions.
You just need curiosity — and the willingness to look again.

Because every small shift in how we question the world around us… starts building a better world.

So… no hot takes from me today. No debates. Just questions.
And I would like to know:
What’s a question you’ve been holding onto?
What’s something you wish people in your life were more curious about… instead of just arguing about?

Drop it in the comments. Let’s make questioning normal again.

Because we don’t have to fix everything today… but we can start with better questions.
And sometimes… that’s how everything changes.

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Rewrite Reality. If this resonates, consider sharing with someone who might also be thinking deeply about the world around them.
And head over to greggtheartivist.com to explore more: I have the same episode in full, extra content, as well as ways to connect.

Also, if you haven’t yet, subscribe or follow wherever you listen so you catch future episodes.

Until next time, stay curious, keep questioning — and remember together we can reshape what’s possible.