35 of the Most Complicated Questions Asked by Children

“Why?” is a simply-posed question, but when asked by a child, it transforms any inquiry into an existential examination of humanity and leads to the kinds of conclusions only reached by monks after spending long stretches of time in a meditative state.

And as children learn more words and think harder about the world around them, they can come up with harder-hitting questions that prompt even more complicated answers. One Redditor recalled the time their niece asked, “How hard do I have to jump so that I don’t come back down?” He could only sit there dumbfounded, thinking, “Jesus Christ, this kid is asking what her escape velocity is.” 

That’s profound stuff!

Other adults have gathered on Reddit to marvel at the minds of children, revealing times they were grilled with questions like, “How do you know you’re really happy?” “Where do thoughts come from?” and a real heavy hitter: “What’s the opposite of a carrot?”