You have problems? Examine the “you”!

 We cannot solve our problems from the same level of thinking that created them.

Albert Einstein

 

Let’s say the doctor tells us that we have high blood pressure and—if he is an old-fashioned doctor and doesn’t immediately put us on medication—recommends that we lose 30 pounds. But then, we realize that we can’t will ourselves to exercise, cannot stop snacking and cannot stop drinking. Outside of taking medicine which merely hides the underlying problem, what should we do then?

 

I like this example because it shows that “we” do not have an answer to the problem. It forces us to look at the problem with a new set of eyes. The “I” is the problem and not the elevated blood pressure. What we call self is a set of contradictory programs. We have so much life energy to cope with the inner contradictions but as we get older, they get more engrained, and we are forced to face them.

 

Let’s have a look at the problem statement in its entirety and “choice-less awareness” as J. Krishnamurti coined this term kicks in. Let’s say for example, I want to be loved but the person I want to love is not loving me back. Meanwhile someone who loves me reaches out to me, but I don’t even acknowledge this person because I am so desperate being loved by the first person. We see cases like this in movies; you pick the self-inflicted problem that applies. The list of possibilities is endless.

 

The problem has been designed by us to help us realize that the self is in the Way. Take a good look at it. Without the self interfering our need to snack and drink goes down. As we lose weight running becomes easier and as we shed the pounds and resolve our inner conflicts our blood pressure diminishes as well. Does this all resonate with you? You have problems? Examine the “you”!