Insights into Problem Solving

In order to change an existing paradigm you do not struggle to try and change the problematic model. You create a new model and make the old one obsolete. - R. Buckminster Fuller

Like the Phoenix from the ashes, the original form must be destroyed or comletely changed in order for the new form to emerge.  

As with many things that I create in this medium (i.e. blogging/writing) this is another half-hatched idea that is beginning to present itself to my consciousness. I am currently reading a book that is constantly inspiring me to be more self-reflective and to push me towards a more balanced approach to external versus internal locus of control.

I just finished reading a section on how to better understand problems that arise in our lives. This new style of problem solving is centered on the belief that a problem is a sort of beacon or alert system that indicates that we are not acting in accordance with our soul's wishes. From here on out, when I refer to the soul I will be using the author's definition:

soul - the experience of the Divine expressing as individuality; the self-aware spiritual life force or essence, unique to a particular living being, carrying consciousness of all actions. The inner awareness in a person that exists before birth and that lives on after the physical body dies.

Problems are a sort of blockage, they indicate that something is amiss. In our bodies we experience it as pain. If you know anyone who has chronic pain or any type of pain that has no traceable physical causes then you can understand the power of these blockages. We can actually make ourselves believe we are sick when we are actually perfectly healthy! If the true source of the blockage is not discovered and dealt with then the body will manifest our pain physically (e.g. ulcers, appendicitis, arthritis, heart problems, etc.) Often doctors will say genetics and/or environment are the cause, but there is also the possibility that an emotional trauma, a deep seated fear of change, or simply bad habits have a lot to do with our physical health problems. (*If you follow the link to chronic pain you'll see acupuncture, relaxation and psychotherapy as recommended treatments. It also indicates that placebos work. I find this interesting in light of what I've read today.)

In our external lives we experience problems in many different ways that vary from small and seemingly insignificant occurrences, to enormous, seemingly devastatingly unsurmountable forces. Some examples include: bankruptcy, death of a loved one, bills, work, relationships...etc.

Our current method of solving problems is centered around first defining a situation as either a) good/advantageous or b) bad/problematic. We then isolate the problem and focus our attention on making it change into something we like better. We investigate, survey and analyze all aspects of the problem and expend a lot of energy investing in the desired outcome. What we are really trying to do is control our own futures. We think we can make things go the way we want them to. This is a watste of time because, ultimately the future is not up to us.

What is up to us is how we interpret and reflect on the problem. We could think of it this way: "problems are simply incoming guidance from your soul and navigational devices that indicate the need for directions shifts." (Peirce) In other words problems mean something needs to change. By isolating where the problem is really coming from and then focusing on why it has occurred we can intuitively feel our way through the problem and move in the direction our souls are urging us towards.

Here's a table the book provides that offers a direct comparison:

A PROBLEM PERSISTS WHEN:

A PROBLEM TRANSFORMS WHEN:

·         You judge the situation as bad and stop the flow ·         You make it into a statement of truth and lock in a situation you resist ·         You avoid the underlying experience the problem is aiming you toward ·         You jump too far ahead, looking for the final answer ·         You have an agenda that’s out of alignment with your soul’s intent

·         You look for the soul’s reasons: what are you learning and trying to experience? ·         You see it as a natural turning point, choice point, or indication of forthcoming guidance and revelation ·         You turn it into a question or series of questions to elicit deeper insights ·         You keep the flow going by having the indicated experiences first and having faith that the realignment with soul will soon present a beneficial solution

I will leave you with one personal example. I often get lower back pains. I used to blame my minor case of scholiosis and/or work where I stood to frequently or lifted too many heavy things. These causes I had identified were out of my control and thus I felt like a victim of the back pains. The only solutions I could see were to lift fewer things (even though that wasn't always possible at work), to medicate with analgesics and to rest or use a heating pad after the pain had set in. It's been an ongoing challenge for a long time, until recently; now I can almost predict the pain before it begins becuase I have finally begun to understand that it occurs when my body doesn't get enough movement. I began dabbling in yoga a few years ago and recently discovered how beneficial it is for my back. Now when I start to notice that I'm standing around a lot at work I will do a little dance move, or a bend or a stretch...basically anything to move my body in new and interesting ways so that it will not allow my lower back to carry all my weight. It's as if that part of my body now speaks to me, "Hey! Can we get the blood flowing before it starts to hurt me down here?!"

The body and soul are not as separate as we may think (think of them as two sides of the same coin), and thus when your body communicates with you the odds are your soul is also trying to tell you something as well. Yoga has not only improved my back pain, but opened up a whole new style of communication within my body. All it took was a fresh way of experiencing the problems in my life.