Seek Simple. Not Easy.
Why simple and easy solutions won't work.
Thought
People it would seem, not only want simple solutions to their problems, they also want them to be easy too. I think this in large part explains the success of medications for ailments such as depression, weight-loss, anxiety etc. What could be more simple and easy than taking a small pill at least once daily.
One obvious problem I see with our pill prescribing approach to solving our problems is that a medication does nothing to change the thoughts, environments or behaviors that created the adverse, negative outcomes. Pills won’t, in fact can’t, fix our problems because they don’t change who we are, our environment, our behavior.
Often our problems do have simple solutions, but they are almost never easy. They typically require diligent, consistent effort on our part to achieve lasting and sustainable change in our character, behavior and environment.
Let’s consider depression for just a moment. It’s been demonstrated and supported by research that exercise is one simple and proven remedy for several mental and emotional ailments. Take your pick of aerobic exercise and some studies suggest it can be 1.5 times more effective at managing mild to moderate symptoms of depression than taking anti-depressants.
Aerobic exercise at its most basic is a very simple solution, but anyone who has started and tried to do it consistently every day knows how hard and difficult it can be. Exercise and taking pills are both simple solutions. The pill however is far easier than exercise. But exercise, when done consistently not only works, but has the capacity to change who we are, how we feel, how we think.
I could be off course here with my thinking on this subject, if I am, let me know in the comments.
Quote.
‘All agents ‘ here includes God Himself. His omnipotence means power to do all that is intrinsically possible, not to do the intrinsically impossible.
- C.S. Lewis (The Problem of Pain, p.18)
Idea.
Taking a moment to look back over the pictures we have taken can serve as a catalyst for feeling gratitude.