The problem with problems is that they invite the idea that it is necessary to fix them.

That’s how the Western culture reacts to problems. Whenever people perceive a problem they’ll start focusing on fixing it.

Another problem with problems is that people perceive them through their own discomfort.

The story or the situation generates a sense of discomfort. It leads to a desire to get rid of the discomfort. Which is transformed into a desire to get rid of the problem. Consequently proposed solutions appear in abundance.

That’s short-term thinking.

A lot of “problems” are first and foremost information.

It is by putting that information into its context that we can make meaning out of it.

By focusing on the information and its context, we can discover what it tells us about the state of the system. It’s only then, that we’ll get a clue if what we’ve been observing is a symptom or a problem.

Some symptoms are signposts for problems.

Other symptoms belong to the system we’ve established. They are choices.

And yes, sometimes it’s worth questioning these choices.