Lent II: Problems = Solutions

In math class long ago, I looked up at an equation, with the problem on one side of the equals sign and the answer on the other. It was neat and tidy, and the teacher spoke of the problem and the solution as two separate things, but, looking back, I can see the two were not as divided as they were made to seem.

Reaching the solution, one needs to begin with the problem, begin within the problem. Those fractions and square roots that bewilder, are also the very things that lead to the solution. They stand not as an obstacle, but a gateway.

Most mornings, as I begin my day in a twelve-step recovery meeting, I see many  join us thinking all they need do is quit drinking, but they don't stay around long. They want to jump across the equals sign to the neat and tidy solution, when the key to long-term sobriety lies on the other side, within the messy problems and issues feeding the addiction.

Examples of jumping over the equals sign are not limited to addicts. A company with a morale or culture problem throws a fancy Christmas party in hopes it will make everyone happy again. A couple decides to have a baby in hopes of restoring their crumbling marriage. An overeater has liposuction without changing his or her eating habits. An employee is fired for complaining about irregular accounting practices. A family moves to a new town in hope of being happy again.

Like my friend in math class who pleaded, “Can’t you just tell us the answer?!” doing the work on the other side of the equals sign is hard and frustrating, but I now see the problem is not to be avoided, but explored and embraced.  It not only leads to a solution, it is the solution.