Work with it, Not Against it

Jumping right in. What are the problems that are you are facing in your life? It could be a broad question. It could be more specific, but how much of your problems are self imposed by your own sense of resistance? Solutions and problems are more intrinsically intertwined than we may think. We tend to see solutions as a way to resolve problems in a more linear fashion, but in a way it can just create a new set of problems. Solutions rely on the idea of a means to an end. Of course, a solution in a mathematical or scientific context makes more sense, but when we look at problems in the abstract those lines start to blur and fizzle. 

The act of resisting something that we don't want or that we think we don't want tends to strengthen and distract us from the real problems at hand. There's great beauty in the process of understanding why we have problems in the first place. There is a reason when we feel that sense of resistance within us. It alerts us, scares us and can awake us to revelatory experiences, if we are truly conscious of what is going on. This idea that we need something to work "against" can be very problematic. False dichotomies (binaries) arise when we do not see the inner workings of our consciousness. If a problem is presented, one of the best things to do is to move with it. To open up that sense of curiosity within us and not necessarily formulate a list or a new battle plan to combat an invisible enemy that may or may not even offer a "solution" to the problems we unconsciously created. 

“We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more in imagination than in reality.” – Seneca

Let's make things more clear here. What we resist tends to persist in a way that can distract us from the root cause of our "problems". Problems can in itself be a problematic word and concept. Ha. How we view problems can affect how we see every aspect of our lives and why we even see it as a problem in the first place. What if we were to use a new definition? What if we were to call problems "opportunities" or "awakenings"? This might break the problem/solution paradigm. This might allow our minds to develop a new neural pathway that can let us think more critically and creatively without the psychological need for "resistance". Now, you can start to see how we tend to make work harder for ourselves when it does not necessarily need to be. 

It's about riding the wave. (Surfer's voice). The surfer must ride the wave and not work against it or fight it otherwise it would result in failure. Or at least not successfully riding that wave. When we are more receptive and less "in our heads" we can allow ourselves to move through space intuitively. Trusting your instincts and not being heady with confidence can allow you to discover untapped potential. It's about being present essentially. It's about dropping your expectations and goals. There is great intelligence in riding those waves. Feeling those waves. Feeling the vibrations in your body and the empty space in your mind. 

“External thinks are not the problem. It’s your assessment of them. Which you can erase right now.” – Marcus Aurelius

Most of the time we tend to glorify imagination. This is fine, but what we don't seem to pay attention to is that we use imagination to create problems. Mostly unnecessary. It occupies the mind and perpetuates the cyclical and compulsory nature of thought. 

The mere perception of a resistance is just that. The mere perception of a resistance. Most of us have been conditioned to think that we must overcome something that does not serve us. Most of us act as agents of removal for things that we do not want or make us feel uncomfortable. When discomfort hits, we tend to try to escape or "solve" a "problem" that our minds create without question or further introspection. It's that flip of the switch escapism that pushes the real root causes to the side. We may solve a problem in the meantime, but the resistance will only grow stronger the next time a self created problem arises. Most of the time unexpectedly and almost always inconveniently. Some of us want to gravitate towards a solution so much that we create a whirlwind of anxiety within us. That whirlwind tends to kick up anxiety and confusion and then we are really in a foggy sense of mind. Confusion is a creativity killer. 

What if we just sit with it?

So what is the solution? That's just it. There isn't one. There are however costs and benefits to any type of action we may take. Overthinking is a type of resistance. Most of the time the thing in our way is ourselves or at least the perception of ourselves. And we can certainly agree that that can be very distorted! So much of the tension and resistance comes from identifying with what we as the problem and/or solution. When the self gets dissolved from the situation, things tend to clear up and we can get out of our own way.

“There is no good or bad without us, there is only perception. There is the event itself and the story we tell ourselves about what it means.”
― Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph

Obstacles can be invitations and not walls for us to climb or conquer. There is great progress to be made when we flip the script back on to us. What are we enhancing that doesn't need to be enhanced? How are we making things more dramatic for us and others around us? How are we perpetuating a self involved and self delusional state of mind always reliant on trying to conquer small things that never seem to address the root causes? It all starts with curiosity and the willingness to see how we are responsible for all these so called "problems" we create. 

DG