We All Have Problems

We All Have Problems

Problems, whether benign or serious, have something in common. Seeing this commonality not only helps us find solutions, but allows us to regain our precious peace of mind.

What do all problems have in common? Our experience of them – how they look to us, how we feel about them, whether or not there is a problem at all – exists in thought. For example, some people fret endlessly about what to wear when going out. It’s a nerve racking and time consuming mental process. For others it’s an exercise in practicality (“Is it warm?”, “Is it raining?”). And there are also people who barely think about what they wear at all.

We are not saying that problems are not real. We are not saying to ignore problems. We simply want you to realize the central and unavoidable role that thought plays in the equation.

Seeing the role of thought points us inward. We become curious, not just about the problem itself but about how the problem looks to us. We might ask ourselves:

• Why am I thinking about it this way?
• Is everyone thinking this way?
• Is there another way to think about this?
• I wonder what I’m not seeing that would make this look different and even resolve it?

We also notice a critical factor – our state of mind in the moment. Am I rushed? Am I worried? Am I in a reaction? Our capacity and ability to think well varies. And I don’t just mean after a late night, a busy day or a few drinks. Realizing this, allows us to be wiser about what we think about and when.

The deeper point is that when we are settled – or said another way – when we are not disturbed by our thinking, we have a stronger and more open access to the wisdom flowing through us. This wisdom is what will address the issues most successfully. It might provide an answer, or a different perspective on the issue. Our wisdom may even reveal that there really is no problem at all.

Many years ago, I was assigned to an internal task force investigating the apparent theft of personal safety equipment at an industrial site. Even though the site had 3000 people, 6000 pairs of safety glasses had been taken from the open boxes in each building. Fortuitously, as we explored the “issue”, someone asked why anybody would want to steal these objectively ugly glasses? As we wondered, another person  suggested that maybe people are taking them home to put in their toolboxes or giving them to friends or family.

This wondering triggered a new thought. If people were safety conscious at home, they were more likely to be safety conscious at work. The problem was turned on its head. The task force recommended that the company give away more safety equipment for personal use. Within two years, that site had become the safest in the organization.

Here’s another story with far more serious consequences. In 2010, an Airbus A380 took off from Singapore bound for Sydney, Australia. Ten minutes into the flight, the plane experienced the worst mid-air mechanical disaster in aviation history. In the span of 20 seconds, 12 of the 14 major systems needed to keep a plane in the air failed.

The pilot, a man named Richard de Crepsigny, had to figure out how to land the plane. (Now, that’s a problem!) With all the alarms going off and lights flashing de Crepsigny closed his eyes. He told investigators later that he knew he had to think about the problem differently. He decided to imagine he was flying a Cessna airplane – the plane he learned to fly on which apparently is a very simple plane compared to the highly complex and technical Airbus A380. This new perspective calmed him down and allowed him to refocus. Muscle memory from flying the Cessna kicked in and he knew what to do, landing the plane safely.

No matter the problem or situation, when we remember the role that thought plays, we are looking in a new direction. This inward direction is where our experience is actually coming from and it is where our wisdom lies. Maybe problems are really just thoughts to be explored in search of more wisdom.

Sandy Krot and Robin Charbit