The problem | Anecdotes, parables and organizational reflections
Anecdotes, parables, fables
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A great teacher and a guardian shared administration of a zen monastery. Some day the guardian died, and had to be replaced. Grandmaster brought together all his disciples to choose who would have that honor. "I'm going to present to you a problem - he said-. He solved it first will be the new guardian of the Temple". It brought to the center of the room a bench, put on a big, beautiful porcelain flower vase with a beautiful red rose and said: "This is the problem".
The disciples were perplexed what they saw: rare and sophisticated designs of porcelain, the freshness and elegance of the flower... what accounted for that? What do? What was the enigma? All were paralyzed. After a few minutes, a student rose, looked at the master and the other disciples, stepped toward the Cup with determination and threw him to the ground.
"You are the new guardian - told him the Grandmaster, and explained-: I was unclear, I told them that they were in front of a problem." No matter how beautiful and fascinating, the problems have to be solved. It may be a very rare porcelain jar, a beautiful love that no longer makes sense, a road which must abandon but insist on tour because it brings comfort. There is only one way to deal with problems: attack them head-on. In those moments we cannot you have pity, neither let us tempt fascinating side that any conflict carries".
The problems have a weird effect on most of us: we like to look at them, analyze them, turn them, comment on them... Happens frequently that we compare our problems with the others and say: "your problem is not anything... wait for to tell you mine!"
It had been called "paralysis by analysis" to this process of contemplation and inaction. And the solution?