To quote the previous post, “A big part of wisdom is figuring out which problems are mine to solve and which ones to let go.”

Typically when I think about things that need to be solved or things I need to “get some control over,” I start by looking around me. I identify people or situations that concern me, that piss me off, that seem unjust. Clearly there are suffering people and tragic situations that need attention. There is injustice that needs correction. And when my self-serving ego is hard at work, there are annoying people that need straightening out.

plant a flagThe ego always looks outside itself. The ego always finds some moral high ground, plants its flag, dramatically throws its scarf over the shoulder, and starts making declarative statements about why things are a mess and what needs to change. Of course, finger pointing and shaking the head enhance the effect.

 

Real problem solving starts within. It starts with silence, observing, listening. Albert Einstein frequently said, “No problem can be solved by the same consciousness that caused the problem in the first place.”

Responding to tragedy, to injustice, or to annoying people with outrage, pity, vengeance, or any of those other knee-jerk (ego) reactions simply contributes to the hurtful consciousness that created the situation. I am adding to the problem, not solving it.

Wow, how to enter into a different consciousness, how to respond to need from a quiet place rather than a noisy one. I’d much prefer to mutter profanities as I walk away. More to come.