Why do we dream – and why do we dream what we dream? Why does time seem to fly during happy moments and drag during tedious ones? CLIVE WILLIAMS  devotes his Whimsy column to pondering the imponderable.

“No one can ever know for sure what a deserted area looks like.” –George Carlin

Imponderables in life refer to the perplexing and unanswerable questions that elude definitive answers, challenging our understanding and often defying logic. 

These enigmas span various realms, from the philosophical and existential to the mundane. 

Questions such as the nature of consciousness, the origins of the universe, and whether “life” exists after death sit at the core of human mysteries, often leading to profound discussions and debates.

In everyday life, imponderables manifest in the form of simpler yet equally puzzling queries: Why do we dream – and why do we dream what we dream? Why does time seem to fly during happy moments and drag during tedious ones? 

These questions, though less grandiose, are just as fascinating because they touch on the everyday aspects of human experience and perception.

Imponderables drive curiosity and inspire continuous exploration and learning. They highlight the limitations of human knowledge and the boundless mysteries that remain. While scientific advancements have unravelled many of nature’s secrets, imponderables remind us that there is always more to discover. 

Imponderables keep us humble, acknowledging that some aspects of our existence may remain forever beyond our grasp, thus fuelling the quest for knowledge and the innate desire to understand the world and our place within it.

Before we get too serious, here are a few less profound imponderables for you to think about:

• How come nobody recognises that Clark Kent without his glasses is Superman?
• Why doesn’t Tarzan have a beard when he lives in the jungle without a razor? 
• Why do we press harder on a TV remote when we know the batteries are flat? 
• Why do banks charge a fee for ‘insufficient funds’ when they know you can’t pay?
• Why did Kamikaze pilots wear helmets and seat belts? 
• Whose idea was it to put an ‘s’ in the word ‘lisp’? 
• We know about the speed of light, but what’s the speed of darkness? 
• Why do people say they ‘slept like a baby’ when babies wake up every two hours? And how can you sleep like a log?
• If the temperature is zero outside today and it’s going to be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold will it be? 
• Do married people live longer than single ones – or does it just seem longer?
• How come we put a man on the moon before we thought of putting wheels on travel bags? 
• Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer? 
• Why does your gynaecologist leave the room when you get undressed? 
• Can illiterate people really appreciate alphabet soup?  
• Why does a dog get mad if you blow on his face but can’t wait to stick his head out from a car window? 
• Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?  
• Doesn’t expecting the unexpected make the unexpected expected?
• How come wrong numbers are never busy?
• How do Scots know when it’s time to tune their bagpipes?
• How do “Get Off the Grass” signs get on the grass?
• Why isn’t an all-butter croissant all butter?
• If Barbie is so popular, why do we have to buy her friends?
• If you save time, how can you get it back?
• If you try to fail – and succeed, which have you done?
• What if the hokey cokey really is what it’s all about?
• How do bankruptcy lawyers get paid?
• Why is the third hand on a watch called the second hand?
• And why don’t we ever see the headline “Psychic wins lottery”?

On a lighter note:

Three engineering students are discussing the human body and what kind of engineer must have designed it. The first one says: “It must have been a mechanical engineer – look at all the movable joints.” 

The second says: “It must have been an electrical engineer, given all the electrical connections.” 

The third says: “You’re both wrong. It was obviously a civil engineer. Who else would have run a toxic waste pipeline through a recreational area?”

Clive Williams is a Canberra columnist