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Solving Life's Problems
“Life is one damned thing after another,” wailed Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915). This statement succinctly point to the fact that problems are as inseparable from us as our own shadows. All life is an unceasing problem solving. The fundamental basis of life is the dynamics of responding to stimuli, which is nothing but problem solving in its primitive form. In his book of essays entitled “All Life is a Problem Solving” (published in 1999 by Routledge), Sir Karl Popper (1902-1994) uses the fruits of his forays into epistemology, ontology, philosophy of science, and political theory to formulate his views towards solving life's problems.
The ideas of Sir Karl can be briefly summarized as follows: A three-step process lies at the heart of knowledge, which is the same for individual and social dynamics as it is for evolution. They are: the problem; attempted solutions; and elimination. All problems are rooted in situations that are different from or opposite to the expectations living beings have. When events run counter to our expectations, we search for and test alternative solutions in order to find a way around the problematic event. We are successful in our problem-solving endeavor when we are able to eliminate all alternatives except the one that most corresponds to our “subjective reality” as well as the actual “objective reality.”
This oversimplification of Sir Karl Popper’s ideas contains, I think, the kernel of the method most people unconsciously use to actually solve the problems in their personal lives. In my own personal life, problem solving has always seemed to take place through a kind of trial and error method. However on hindsight, I realize that my problem solving methods followed a definite logical order not much different from methods advocated by experts in this field.
It is the emotional state of anxiety that generally makes me aware of a problem to be solved. Like many other people, I have at times tried to avoid confronting the problem and traveled the well-worn path of escapism through substance abuse (alcohol and heavy smoking, in my case, never drugs) or a kind of soporific indifference. However, the problems never go away but compel my attention by their persistence.
One of the major problems of my life was my inability to quit smoking even after facing a heart attack (myocardial infarction) probably brought on by decades of heavy smoking. The relapse back into heavy smoking brought in its wake various physical and emotional difficulties, including poor self-esteem. Finally, after a few more trips to the hospital, I swore to lick the problem, whatever the consequences.
I began my problem-solving efforts by trying to identify and precisely define the problem. This made me realize that I am faced with not one discrete problem but a series of associated problems: a network of problems, if you will. My smoking habits were related to various aspects of my life; smoking was an inseparable and indispensable companion during drinking (alcohol), during creative thinking (or common reverie), as well as during stressful situations. Once this was determined, I had to decide whether I was willing to take the risk of loosing a familiar companion in return for garnering the as yet untested benefits of good health and increased self esteem.
The next step (what experts call brainstorming) involved the soaking in the details of the problem, going over the hazards of smoking as well as the benefits and consequences of quitting, continuously and repeatedly, until the imperative of solving this problem presented itself to me with undeniable force. The brainstorming also produced various alternative solutions to the problem, such as quitting smoking suddenly (the cold-turkey method) and starting cardiovascular exercises, reducing smoking gradually along with gradual increase of physical workouts, and getting admitted into a hospital for couple of weeks and fighting the withdrawal symptoms with medication.
The final step was implementing my choice without delay. I chose the difficult method of quitting “cold turkey.” I handled the withdrawal symptoms with yoga and its wonderful breathing exercises, which provided an infusion of oxygen into my system, reducing the craving for nicotine. I stayed away from alcohol for a period till the non-smoking habit was fairly established in me and the drinking of alcohol no longer brought in its wake a craving for tobacco. I have also been able to reduce my general level of stress through the practice of Transcendental Meditation.
Finally, I would like to state that I have applied the above method of problem solving, which is not an uncommon method, on various aspects of my life with relative success.
