Pointless Questions

I wondered tonight how many of the questions I ask people are pointless. As a chaplain, I have found that many of my questions seem to be pointless. The reasons may vary, but tonight I concluded that many questions I ask, to give myself some idea of what the situation may be, are pointless because people give me answers that are not true.

I'm not saying people lie to me, though of course that happens too. Tonight, I asked a family a question I often ask: is there anyone else coming in, any other family or friends? I think I've seen other people ask this too, including nurses and doctors. I do it so I can get an idea of what to expect: are you the only decision maker? Is your schedule the only one that matters? Are we waiting for someone to come before we contact the morgue or "withdraw care?"

So I asked: Is there any other family coming in? The response: No, we're it. We told the grandkids not to come up, and the in-laws can help us tomorrow. Then, 20 minutes later, another child of the patient shows up. With his wife. That would be, yes, two people, not none, who came later. Understandable then why I would give the nurse a confused look when she was about to usher them into an occupied waiting room, and why the son was confused as to why I was confused.

So why bother asking, I ask myself? Another pointless question, because I'll ask again next time, too.