Crippling depression comes when we can’t find any way out of a bad situation. We feel trapped and helpless. Each of us is doing the best we can in life. We each act in accordance to what we have learned through past experiences and in accordance with our current beliefs.
No matter how successful we are things will occasionally erupt in our faces and attempt to smash us. There is always a creative solution to even the worst situation. In the very worst situation it may cost us our life. Still, it is always possible to find a way to die with honor and self-esteem intact.
I recently read a novel that dealt with the horrors of Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease. I was deeply moved as I read about these diseases. I know some people that suffer from Alzheimer’s but I did not know how badly they and those they loved suffered. In the novel, one person in a lucid moment beat the disease through suicide.
He was able to die with dignity at the moment of his choice and under his terms. The novel still haunts me. Why should our world be this way? True genius and creativity come from developing the ability to discover and use solutions previously unknown or unrecognized. Every situation has a solution, it is up to us to find that solution and discard those that are not acceptable.
We must train ourselves in the ability to find these solutions. This training helps us to be resourceful and adept at dealing with recurring crisis situations. In time crisis situations are no longer emotionally crippling to us. We gain the ability to deal with them rationally and competently. The key to finding creative solutions is to take ourselves out of the situation and perceive it differently.
We must change our way of looking at the situation because our normal way offers no solution. We do this naturally when we ask ourselves, “What would Dad do in this situation, what would Mom do? What would John Wayne or Clint Eastwood do?” We try to see the situation from the eyes and viewpoint of someone we respect.
A draw back of this approach is that it involves admitting our own inability to deal with the situation. It reinforces the weakness of our own chosen belief system.
As strange as it sounds, the use of divinatory devices such as horoscopes, fortune cookies, Tarot cards and daily prayer books are more effective.
These devices are more effective because they give information that is so vague and general we must generate creative energy to make the information even apply to us.
“How in the world can that ever apply to me?”
After a few minutes of thought we arrive at possible interpretations that could apply to our own situation.
Do you see what is happening? At the last level we approached the problem not as ourselves but as someone else. In this stage we use divinatory devices to get our own creative juices flowing. These devices are crutches or aids and have no power in themselves. At this stage we are able to expand our options in creative ways with the help of these aids.
One of the great enjoyments in life is finding the correct solution to a problem or situation. Eureka! A light bulb goes off in our brain and we are overjoyed.
Most people enjoy horoscopes and other divinatory aids because of the joy of discovering possible interpretations to what would otherwise be nonsense. We enjoy creating meaning out of chaos and discord. At least we do when chaos and discord do not overwhelm us.
It is important we try for solutions that are within our ability to resolve. The key is to start at lower levels and not attempt the highest levels until we are familiar with the lower ones.
The next stage is much more rigid and demanding. A writing instructor may tell a student to take a list of 25 words and create a poem or a story containing those words. Likewise a person may spend days, months or years making his or her thoughts conform to a specific pattern.
The art and discipline of pen and ink drawing is an example. The artist is restricted to work in a specific medium and still expected to produce brilliant creative and original work.
This is also the level of active problem solving. Thousands of people enjoy crossword puzzles and other mental challenges simply because of the joy in finding the correct solutions. In addition to added creative power this also develops the analytical and reasoning skills.
As always, the more experience you have in problem solving the greater your ability to find solutions becomes. The more you do, the better you get.
The next level is illustrated by the concept of a Zen koan. A Zen master may ask a pupil, “What do an ice cube, a stop sign and your mother-in-law all have in common?” There is only one correct answer and it is highly personal and individual. You will feel the correctness of the solution deep in your soul when you find it.
The student or disciple may spend days, months or even years pondering this question. Whenever he approaches the master with a possible solution the master merely says, “That is not the correct solution, try harder.” After perhaps two years the student runs up to the master laughing and with tears in his eyes. He is overcome with emotion and radiates intense excitement. “I know the answer,” he shouts. “Whenever I see my mother-in-law she stops me cold!”
The master congratulates the student and then gives him another more difficult koan. With each success the student is able to find the correct answer more easily and swiftly. Of course the correct answer is always individual and personal but the master and student both can tell when the answer is the correct one by the emotional rightness it has.
This is a very high degree of problem solving where only a few simple words are used as a key to unlock the creative power within us. As before each effort builds upon the successes of previous efforts. With experience the difficulty goes away and the solution readily appears.
The highest level of creative problem solving is when a person blanks their mind and deliberately tries to be open to all possibilities. They reject “possible” solutions because they are familiar with the euphoria and inner joy that comes from the truly “correct” solution.
The exciting news is that this level of creative ability can be developed by anyone with practice and hard work. But they must first master the lower levels of creative problem solving.
Mastery of each of the lower levels is an important and easy way to get a great number of personal successes under one’s belt. This assists in strengthening personal confidence and self-esteem.
The creative ability is like a muscle that must be flexed many times for it to grow strong. It is like dissolving salt in a glass of water. You can add more and more salt and nothing happens. At a critical point the water can contain no more salt and the salt crystallizes out of the water.
In the same manner when we focus our attention fully on our problem and give it our energy and effort a point will eventually be reached where the proper solution crystallizes into our awareness. With experience we become familiar with the process and it becomes easier and swifter to accomplish. Each success makes the next one easier and we learn to trust ourselves more.
In time our ability to focus and generate this creative energy can become spontaneous and happen without effort on our part. It is at this point we are competent and resilient in life. Our ability to deal with life becomes an enjoyable challenge and not a burden. We actually look forward to the next challenge from the unknown.
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