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Quotes about Challenges

    “It seems that often when problems arise, our outlook becomes narrow.  All of our attention may be focused on worrying about the problem, and we may have a sense that we’re the only one that is going through such difficulties.  This can lead to a kind of self-absorption that can make the problem seem very intense.  When this happens, I think that seeing things from a wider perspective can definitely help – realizing, for instance, that there are many other people who have gone through similar experiences, and even worse experiences.  If you focus too closely, too intensely, on a problem when it occurs, it appears uncontrollable.  But if you compare that event with some other greater event, look at the same problem from a distance, then it appears smaller and less overwhelming.” ~ Dalai Lama, The Art of Happiness

      “In our daily life, problems invariably arise.  But problems themselves do not automatically cause suffering.  If we can directly address our problem and focus our energies on finding a solution, for instance, the problem can be transformed into a challenge.  If we throw into the mix, however, a feeling that our problem is ‘unfair,’ we add an additional ingredient that can become a powerful fuel in creating mental unrest and emotional suffering.  And now we not only have two problems instead of one, but that feeling of ‘unfairness’ distracts us, consumes us, and robs us of the energy needed to solve the original problem.” ~ Dalai Lama, The Art of Happiness

        “Noticing the problem does not change the problem. While of course, awareness is a critical first step, action is the absolute necessary step.”

        Apollo Poetry, Good Men Project

          “One of the strange laws of the contemplative life is that in it you do not sit down and solve problems: you bear with them until they somehow solve themselves. Or until life solves them for you.” ~ Thomas Merton

            “Love is a ladder.  It starts with one person, it ends with the totality.  Love is the beginning, God is the end.  To be afraid of love, to be afraid of the growing pains of love, is to remain enclosed in a dark cell.  Modern man is living in a dark cell.  It is narcissistic – narcissism is the greatest obsession of the modern mind.  And then there are problems, which are meaningless.  There are problems that are creative because they lead you to higher awareness.  There are problems that lead you nowhere; they simply keep you tethered, they simply keep you in your old mess.  Love creates problems.  You can avoid those problems by avoiding love – but those are very essential problems!  They have to be faced, encountered; they have to be lived and gone through and gone beyond.  And to go beyond, the way is through.  Love is the only real thing worth doing.  All else is secondary.  If it helps love, it is good.  All else is just a means, love is the end.  So whatsover the pain, go into love.” ~ Osho, Love, Freedom, Alonenss: The Koan of Relationships

              “We cannot solve life’s problems except by solving them.  This statement may seem idiotically tautological or self-evident, yet it is seemingly beyond the comprehension of much of the human race.  This is because we must accept responsibility for a problem before we can solve it.  We cannot solve a problem by saying ‘It’s not my problem.’ We cannot solve a problem by hoping that someone else will solve it for us.  I can solve a problem only when I say ‘ This is my problem and it’s up to me to solve it.’  But many, so many, seek to avoid the pain of their problems by saying to themselves: ‘This problem was caused me by other people, or by social circumstances beyond my control, and therefore it is up to other people or society to solve this problem for me.  It is not really my personal problem.’  The extent to which people will go psychologically to avoid assuming responsibility for personal problems, while always sad, is sometimes almost ludicrous.” ~ Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled

                “Problems do not go away.  They must be worked through or else they remain, forever a barrier to the growth and development of the spirit.” ~ Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled

                  “When we avoid the legitimate suffering that results from dealing with problems, we also avoid the growth that problems demand from us.  It is for this reason that in chronic mental illness we stop growing, we become stuck.  And without healing, the human spirit begins to shrivel.” ~ Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled