Freedom from the desire for an answer is essential to an understanding of the problem. — Jiddu Krishnamurti
Many great reflections offered by people in the comments. So much wisdom in these reflections.
The more I sit with this, what comes to me is:
What if it’s not a problem at all?
A common approach used in positive psychology is to reframe a problem as a “challenge” or “opportunity.” That can be a useful strategy, but that’s not what I’m talking about here.
Maybe it’s not even a “challenge.” Maybe there is no “opportunity.” Maybe it’s not even a problem.
Why Is It a Problem?
“Problem” seems to imply that the situation is something other than what it “should” be.
Any idea I have of what it “should” be is a subjective belief.
What is my basis for that belief?
When I label something a “problem” it might be useful to consider a few things:
(1) What time horizon am I considering?
Sometimes a situation might look like a problem in the immediate moment or on a short-term horizon, but in the longer arc of time the situation resolves itself.
(2) What (or Who’s) perspective am I looking from?
A situation that looks like a problem from one perspective can look very different from another perspective.
(3) What am I not seeing or what don’t I know?
We don’t necessarily see all the pieces and parts. Maybe it only looks like a problem because I don’t see everything or don’t have access to all the information.
(4) What’s the belief I hold about how it “should be?”
When I call something a “problem,” it implies that I believe that it’s not how it “should” be. So, what is my belief about how it should be?
(5) Why do I believe that it should be different from how it is?
What’s the basis for how I believe the situation should be? Is it because of my values, my morals, or my ethics? Is it simply different from how I want it to be? Is it because of conditioning I received from parents, community, or culture?
Eliminating the Problem From the Start
What if I consider that this “problem” is not a problem at all, but rather just part of the process and path orchestrated by a higher power.
If everything is as it should be, then there is no problem, no need to seek an answer or solution, and nothing to fix. It is what it is: part of the divine plan, the orchestrations of the Universe.
That gives me a profound sense of freedom.
I’m tempted to say this is “something I’m working on,” but that would be an implicit assertion that there is something to fix within me — that my default to view a situation as a problem to be solved is a flaw.
But this, too, is as it should be.
It’s human nature to “problematize” things, to seek solutions and answers.
I am simply practicing holding this perspective, for the places where it may serve me.
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