"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." -Albert Einstein
At a time, when there are so many challenges on all levels, influencing all of us, this might be a good quote to re-think. Some things are out of our control, others are well within our ability to change. In any case, we have to decide how we deal with what is affecting us. Sometimes this can be quite hard.
Have you ever wondered what else you could possibly do, since you're already doing everything possible? This might apply to finances, interpersonal relationships, the way you handle responsibilities, anything really.
As if individual lives weren't challenging enough, economic and environmental issues are causing problems which seem far beyond any one person's means of dealing with.
"We" in this quote does not mean you personally, as you will soon see.
I'd like to quote Scott Thorpe (From his book "How to think like Einstein):
"...Many of Einstein's contemporaries had been working on the same phenomena, but they were trying to solve a very different problem. Their problem went something like this:
How can nature appear to act that way, when we know that it can't?They did not succeed. ............Einstein succeeded because he was working on a problem that enabled a solution. He asked himself:
What would nature be like if it did act the way we observe it to act?This problem has a solution. ......... The first step in thinking like Einstein is to form a problem that enables you to seek and recognize a solution."
This makes perfect sense, doesn't it? And yes, everyone can do it.
The first step is to start from scratch. This means, for just a moment, forget what you think you know. If we have logic turned on, and especially if we have a good education, learned a lot, the reasoning is quick to eliminate what we think is not possible. We censor thoughts before they have a chance to develop. Not too easy to do, unless you do what Einstein did - find the faulty programming by just observing, drawing new conclusions each step of the way. Even if it seems completely crazy and impossible at first. Write it all down - studying, examining and proofing it all are completely separate steps.
If this seems too complex, a good example would be someone with two or three jobs wondering how s/he can make more money to be able to pay the rising bills. After changing jobs, starting a side business, still wondering the same, this person might start by going through the bills and start to ask how to save money. A drastic simplification, but showing that we can get so stuck on a problem, that we are unable to see the obvious. But it's more complex then that.
This example is not far fetched, when we look at what's happening to the large businesses. Long before Halloween we're bombarded with commercials geared towards Christmas shopping. Lots and lots of money spent, trying to guarantee customer's spending. The problem is, average people just don't have that much extra. Many are struggling to keep their heads over water. Companies are struggling, too. Many jobs are lost, and it just keeps getting worse. More spending can not save the economy, nor the individual household.
Worse, institutions helping people are also looking to make cuts, so they can survive. Understandable, considering that systems get abused by people who don't need them, but from what I've seen, a tightening usually hurts the ones who DO need it, the others find ways around it.
Where does this leave us - pressure from both ends, usually means the middle suffers the most- Middle class that is. Many have written about it, doom predictions have been made a long time ago. But where is the solution, now that is happening to a degree we can all feel?
I think more and more people are figuring it out, many have already taken the logical action, but not enough.
Lets formulate problems.
- How can you get more money, when you can't make any more, nor save anymore? (-Robbing a bank is not an option) A: This is a bad problem, since there is no answer.
- How can I keep/get what I need, by giving what I have/am able to do. A: This opens a lot of options. First you evaluate your assets, then your resources. Money will probably figure in here, since some institutions will take nothing else, but you might free up more cash, by not spending it where you don't have to. How? Bartering, trading, changing lifestyle to more self sufficiency, finding creative solutions to something you would otherwise just go and buy. Things like that. It might even mean, that you go look for a better job, more suitable, more stable, but with less pay - and once you realize your value, opportunities just might suddenly open.
If a lot more people start thinking like this, putting this in action, the easier it will become for everyone, since more and more cash is being bypassed. This is how it used to be a long time ago. Money is only an invention to simplify the process, as well as enabling hoarding. Seems there are only few who still get to hoard anyway. For most of us, it's spent before we make it. What if you have nothing material, no special skills? Don't be too quick to judge. Everyone is special in their own way. Just forget for a moment the judgements imposed on us by commercial thinking. Can you cook? Do you have extra time? Good at crafting, telling stories? Anything at all - someone out there would be glad to meet you, and trade for it in some way.
A new way of thinking for sure. How often I meet people all alone! How many complain about being bored. My heart goes out to them, because there is no good reason why this should be this way. So much aloneness in the midst of crowds. And it is THAT, which needs money and nothing else. It is THAT which needs industrial supply of everything. It takes great effort to encourage and sustain isolation of so many individuals. It is THAT which causes as consequence toxic environment, disease and an increased need for pharmaceuticals and hospitalization, which again requires a whole lot more money then most of us can afford. Again, this is a simplification, since it is - again- more complex then that, but it is a good rough outline.
Can we fix this? - We can if we want to. It will become easier, the more are willing to participate. It will not solve all problems right away, but in time the chain reaction will spread its effects, just like it did before. You can call it "turning back the clock, to times before" but really it is not. We can't, since going back is never an option. We have to learn from history, the past, and move forward with what we have learned.
You think I'm wrong? Think there's nobody willing to do this? It sure can seem that way. But here is the thing. Large companies have always done this amongst themselves, because it really does work out better.
We have been doing it for many years, wherever we can. The key is trust and honesty, and each party has to want fair exchange. Yes, there are some quick to abuse this. They soon get cut out of the deals however. There is no room for greed. But there is a lot more room to share. How often do we wish, for example, we'd have a little more help. In the fields, with sorting, even babysitting, a cooked meal. Simple things. It's not as simple as paying someone. There are the legal aspects of insurance, Workman's compensation, Social Security, just for starters. We can't even get close to be able to afford any of this, so we work alone. This gets harder as we get older. Some farmers work this, by offering internships and training with room and board. I'm not sure how fair this is in some circumstances, but if this works for all involved, then it is. We don't have rooms, but would sure be willing to share what we have, with the right people. One lady, quite a few years ago, became friend, then adopted Nana. She was a wonderful Italian lady in her eighties, kept on bringing extra pasta dishes, and loved to spend time with my oldest, when he was a baby. I know these meals were not leftovers, regardless of what she said. She knew how to cook what she needed, since she lived a very frugal life. The "leftovers" were pretty much the same amount every time, and enough for three. She felt free to ask for what she wanted. Vegetables, fruit, eggs, whatever. She didn't need all of what she took. She kept some for herself, then traded the extra with others for rides to Bingo or the Casino, gave some to her church or whatever else came up. She understood the concept well. She is still very active and involved in California now, where she moved with her sister, after her husband's death. We're still in contact, she is still "Nana."
This amazing lady is now going on- or in her nineties, still volunteering, still active. She loves people, loves to help, and in turn, people love her. You can be certain, she did not have an easy life. She has lost too much, several times in her life, and started over in California with no more then what she could take on the plane. Remember, she was already in her eighties then. That was about eight years ago. Can we learn from that?
I let Einstein have the last word on this: "Physical concepts are free creations of the human mind, and are not, however it may seem, uniquely determined by the external world" -Albert Einstein
