What Causes Problems
Where do problems come from? Most people would probably say that problems come from a variety of places: from our jobs, from other people, from financial institutions, etc. There’s an outlook however that says all problems come from one place and one place only; and when I say all problems, I mean problems that affect both a particular person and problems that seem to only affect others. Where does this outlook say that all problems come from? The individual.
A person might take the notion that all problems come from the individual as an issue of perspective; in other words, problems are only real if a person actually considers something to be a problem. For example, losing a job might be considered a problem for one person but not problematic at all for someone else. Thinking about problems in this way, that they are perspective more than actual experience, may have merit in certain circumstances. But there are also circumstances that would likely be considered a problem whatever a person’s outlook is: being in the middle of the sea on a ship that’s starting to sink, for instance.
In any event, the outlook I’m referring to considers the notion of problems coming from the individual to be an entirely literal reality. As in, there’s something happening within the individual that has caused a difficulty to occur. Are you lonely? Are you broke? Are you sick? There is an energy within you that is causing it to happen. The same holds true for difficulties that don’t seem to affect the individual at all. Is there a war taking place somewhere? Does a famine exist in some part of the world? Has an act of nature led to suffering and destruction in a distant land? Regardless of where the problematic circumstance happens to occur, there is an energy from you that is causing it.
The idea that the individual is responsible for every problem he or she perceives, no matter how the problem plays out or where it may be taking place, is one that most people would automatically reject. This rejection is almost certainly motivated by the majority belief that a person can only control so much within the universe. But this sort of reasoning isn’t universally accepted. Those who practice hooponopono, the outlook I’ve been speaking of throughout this piece, believe that every problem an individual perceives comes from that individual. And perhaps more importantly, that the individual can resolve these problems: every one of them. You can get more information about the ho’oponopono perspective at I need help.
