The Problem of Not Having a Problem
The real problem with most of the people, it seems, is that they are always fond of problems and when there is none, the life seems so horrible to them. We can even say that they love the problems more than Romeo loved Juliet. For them loving their problems is the only way to live a life or rather a wonderful life. Problem is like breathing to them. So much so that in the absence of any problem they might suffocate. And, although, it is claimed that love can solve all the problems, but how can that be true if your problems are the only love of your life? So when there is no problem, problem lovers start feeling boredom and boredom can make them feel sad, tired, hopeless, uninterested, irritable, and many other difficult emotions. Moreover, they can also suffer from depression and anxiety.
Thus in a prevalent global culture (with its roots in Americanism) where busyness is a status symbol no one likes to look like “Winnie the Pooh” who is never ashamed of sitting idle and enjoying the serenity and tranquility of nature. On the contrary, he even seems proud of as well as content with doing nothing. So, with the exception of Pooh, the monster of boredom is a universally dreaded creature and everyone wants to avoid it.
And in an effort to get rid of this dreaded feeling, we close our eyes and let our mind lose to wander in the wilderness of anxiety and fretfulness. We start thinking about our past and worrying about future. And as our idle mind races fast from the past to the present and future, we find millions of thoughts running through our head. Our power of imagination works wonder and soon problems start emerging out of nowhere. In short our mind becomes devil’s workshop full of all sorts of negativity and so-called problems.
In other words, being a devils workshop our mind is bombarded with all sorts of negative rubbish. One moment we are ruminating about terrible past with its failed relationships, painful events, and experiences. The next moment, we find ourselves worrying about what might happen in the future. These are all problems that don’t even exist in real life. They are all the creation of our minds. And solving these imaginary problems is like riding a rocking horse. We feel we are doing something but me don’t make any progress as “motion” is not the same as “progress.” Motion means we are constantly moving; we are busy moving from one task to another without any visible results. On the other hand, progress means we are completing tasks and improving our conditions.
Although, it is not bad to have problems as they make our life meaningful as without problems there would be no learning and thus no progress, but if we have imaginary problems we are not learning anything. And solving imaginary problem is as good as solving no problem at all.
Here is a joke to make my point clear:
One lunatic to other: I am planning to buy the moon.
Second lunatic: But you can’t buy the moon.
First lunatic: Why?
Second lunatic: Because I am not going to sell it to anyone. As simple as that.
So what’s the solution?
The simple solution is that we, like the lovely and wise bear, need to rest our brain, take stock, step back, pause in the moment, and be brutally honest that it is not important to be busy (or always planning to buy moon) or always on. And that being busy is also not always being productive.
Moreover, doing nothing is not as bad as we believe it to be.
However, truth seems to be that we can neither always remain busy nor idle. We must learn to keep balance. And as some psychologists point out, doing something is productivity’s fuel; doing nothing is productivity’s brakes. We need both fuel and brakes to function well and have a safe and wonderful journey. Thus doing nothing is also part of the productivity as being overzealous/overambitious, ultimately proves harmful than useful.
Moreover, we must learn to control our mind and be at peace with being idle by acknowledging that busyness in not a virtue and we must stop worshiping it. On the contrary this culture of busyness has wreaked havoc with our inner as well as outer environment and ultimately our lives.
A 2021research report by World Health Organization (WHO) showed that overwork can increase the risk of stroke, heart disease, and ultimately death. Conversely, research suggests that reducing working hours to manageable levels can enhance productivity.
Big industries, large farms and livestock operations and then rampant consumerism produce waste that pollutes water, air, and land sources as well as environment.
Burgeoning manufacturing sector, especially in developing countries, is the biggest cause of the abnormal rise in the pollution levels in recent decades. This has resulted in natural habitat destruction, soil erosion, desertification, ocean acidification and many other changes that are causing significant stress to ecosystems. Moreover, according to an article of European Environment Agency, “air and noise pollution, and heavy metals like mercury are directly related to health issues like asthma, hearing loss, dehydration and heart diseases. Heatwaves and floods affect the whole population but cause the highest burden for vulnerable groups like infants, the elderly, those in poor health or communities living on floodplains.” And as a WHO report further informs us, one-quarter of all deaths worldwide are now attributable to environmental factors, including poor air and water quality, lack of sanitation, and exposure to toxic chemicals.
Thus it is time to learn some important lessons and strategies from the Pooh, to cope with this mania of busyness and having problems all the time, so that this planet could become a better place to live on.
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References:
i) https://www.healthline.com/health/boredom
ii) https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/anxiety-work/201809/why-we-love-our-problems-and-how-stop
iii) https://hbr.org/2023/03/beware-a-culture-of-busyness
iv) https://nyulangone.org/news/environmental-factors-predict-risk-death
