prob·lem
ˈpräbləm/
noun
a
matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful and needing to be dealt
with and overcome.
A
relatively recent epiphany: "Problems in one generation can lead to
blessings in another generation" + "Problems are to be welcomed
because they are wise teachers, provided you're willing to learn."
Exhibit
A: Due to a few unexpected roadblocks in my parents life, they got
turned onto a spiritual path at a relatively young age ... consequently, my
brother and I were exposed to spirituality through in-home discussions,
discussions with our parents’ friends, books on the topic while we were still
in elementary/middle school. Fast forward, 20ish years and I find that as I try
to "parent" our daughter, I attempt to incorporate a lot of life
"lessons" from my early exposure to spirituality into our day-to-day
interactions - in the hope that she learns early on
·
that peace and happiness come from within,
·
that love and kindness is the only way,
·
that who you are on the inside is far more important than who
you are on the outside,
·
that how you see yourself is far more important than how the
world sees you
·
that the world outside of you is but a reflection of you
·
...
so, had
my parents not experienced those roadblocks in their lives, it's conceivable
that our daughter's upbringing would have taken a different course because my
parents experience and, by extension, my early life experience helped shape who
I am today.
In
effect, those problems in my parents life = a blessing in our daughter's life.
Extending
that same school of thought and reflecting on the problems and roadblocks of my
own life, each period of struggle was inevitably followed by a period of calm
and stability - the proverbial "ups and downs of life". Each of those
struggles and challenges often (but not always) made me look within to examine
what lesson I needed to learn and what the particular circumstance was trying
to teach me as my own soul progresses through this lifetime. Once I had
accepted the lesson, the circumstance usually (but not always) resolved itself.
In some instances, the uncomfortable circumstance manifested in different forms
across different time periods until I accepted the lesson.
So,
with the benefit of hindsight, those problems, actually helped me progress in
both spiritual and material ways ... so, what problem(s) are you experiencing
that could lead you to greater success and an expansion of your understanding?
What if
problems are to be welcomed instead of being regarded as unwelcome.
What if
the better definition of a problem is this?
prob.lem
ˈpräbləm/
noun
a
matter or situation that will cause discomfort but that can also serve as a
source of accelerated learning and growth.
