problem solving v. problem exploring

punchinella

The other day at work I was accused of wallowing in negativity: seeking problems out and, when I don't find them, creating them. The person who accused me of this described herself as a problem-solver. Although she did not say as much, I think the gist of it is that she does not want me to identify any problem for which no immediate solution can be found.

I have been thinking and thinking about this. I have been thinking about it in light of tarot reading. Mulling the situation over, an image of the person who accused me of negativity sitting down to read cards popped into my mind. It was so incongruous. I thought to myself "she would not be interested in tarot reading" . . . and then I began to wonder.

I started to analyze what I actually get out of reading cards--what my reward is for doing this. And I realized that I'm not actually in it for solutions; rather, I enjoy the process of analysis. I enjoy analyzing imagery and situations; exploring problems from a range of angles and perspectives. I enjoy wordsmithing on paper and on the computer, verbal discussion if I'm very comfortable with the person I'm talking with. (I do not enjoy personal interaction with people I don't know well, but that's another subject altogether

)

Thinking about all this, I began to wonder whether other readers are motivated differently--whether, in fact, that image of the solution-seeking individual sitting down with her own deck was not, in fact, unrealistic. Are other readers, I wonder, primarily motivated by a desire to find solutions to problems, or simply by a desire to explore and understand? Of course we all use tarot for both purposes; I also problem solve, at times, with my decks . . . But my chief purpose most of the time in picking up a deck is not to solve a problem so much as to understand it better: to gather, evaluate, and organize information . . . The process in this sense is its own reward. So, yes, there's a grain of truth in the accusation of wallowing in negativity: with all problems solved, there would be nothing left to analyze. And that would be the end of the party!

I thought this might be subject for an interesting discussion. Your thoughts?

Aerin

I use Tarot when I want to move forward with something, and there doesn't have to be a thing I'd call a problem for me to do that. It's absolutely possible for me to have everything going well and still think that I may want to move forward to something else or understand a situation better. It could also be that I want more of something that I already have and that is just as interesting to analyze for me.

I also use Tarot when I do have a problem

and I wouldn't bother unless I thought it would move me to find, if not a solution, some way of shifting things in a positive direction. I (almost?) always have an "advice" position or positions in a spread.

Language is interesting when it comes to some things, especially work. Over the years I have found out that very few people want to be brought a problem unless they are also brought some ideas for dealing with it - doesn't have to be a solution, could also be a way of sidestepping it or helping it cause less harm. Sometimes it is the way you word things that makes a difference between being seen as negative and being seen as someone who takes the initiative to make things better. I wonder, have you read Tarot on this?

punchinella

Aerin said:
I wonder, have you read Tarot on this?

I've been reading & reading & reading (for years now) on our troubled relationship . . . problem not yet solved :joke:

I suppose you're right. Ultimately the purpose of exploring is to find ways to make improvements, which might be incrimental but nonetheless . . . are bits & pieces of a solution. I suppose the distinction (between solving & exploring) is arbitrary. It's really only a difference in emphasis.

moderndayruth

punchinella said:
The other day at work I was accused of wallowing in negativity: seeking problems out and, when I don't find them, creating them. The person who accused me of this described herself as a problem-solver. Although she did not say as much, I think the gist of it is that she does not want me to identify any problem for which no immediate solution can be found.

I don't think a problem can be solved, unless its understood - what caused it, what's the bigger picture etc.; everything else is ( i don't know the exact word in English) just making a shortcut - and not in a good way... usually the problems that are so quickly dealt with, come back, far worse than before...
If you pull out weed - you need to do it from the root, no?
Don't let your colleague intimidate you because you are more pensative than she is.
In every field, you have visionaries - like you, and you have operative workers like her, its important to distinguish the two categories because they aren't interchangeable.

punchinella said:
with all problems solved, there would be nothing left to analyze. And that would be the end of the party!

We would have achieved the spiritual correction of the whole world ( Tikkune olam that is) and would be in eternal bliss/ partying 24/7...

punchinella said:
I thought this might be subject for an interesting discussion.

Yes, definitely! Thank you for starting it!

punchinella

moderndayruth said:
In every field, you have visionaries - like you, and you have operative workers like her, its important to distinguish the two categories because they aren't interchangeable.

Thanks moderndayruth, I am feeling pretty battered and, well, in the wrong, and this helps a bit.

Starshower

Hi, punchinella. YES! I totally & completely echo, understand & LIVE your problem!
It's a huge relief to come across someone else who naturally analyses - often for its own sake - but is criticised for it. Every word you wrote speaks for me. It's my bf who simply wants to sort practical things out & detests (fears?) any 'deep thought' or 'comparing & contrasting', which he castigates as 'too much thinking' & 'negative' & anathema.

This hurts & frustrates me deeply; since looking at the bigger picture, seeing different aspects & contexts of issues, & recognising patterns are essential for a happy life, for me. And better for productive, positive functioning & development FAR more than simplistic, knee-jerk, cliched answers, imo. Life is rarely, if ever, 1-dimensional & simple.

Gaining bigger, broader understandings = a big (& necessary, for me) part of the interest & JOY of life, work, leisure & relationships ... & not 'negative' at all! Philosophy excites me, because of that! BUt many people find any speculation, imagination etc which have no immediate, direct, practical application either too scary & challenging, or boring (what's that??!!) & pointless. I don't understand this attitude. It seems fear-driven.

Yes, I naturally look below the surface, over the top & around the edges of situations & issues, especially with Tarot. I find doing so far more fulfilling than mere 'get-rid-of-it', shallow problem-solving. This is very positive for me, both satisfying my nature & finding more far-reaching responses to life's challenges.

I like mdr's response a lot. Cheers!

(And I've always loved that Julian of Norwich quotation!)

eta: Your 1st paragraph makes me wince, since those are the very words my bf attacks me with ... verbatim ... & emphasise the gulf between us

punchinella

Starshower said:
Yes, I naturally look below the surface, over the top & around the edges of situations & issues, especially with Tarot. I find doing so far more fulfilling than mere 'get-rid-of-it', shallow problem-solving. This is very positive for me, both satisfying my nature & finding more far-reaching responses to life's challenges.

I was wondering whether this would be the perspective of most people who read tarot, either due to constitutional inclination (as, for us, seems to be the case) or because working with cards over a period of time might lead a person to develop an interest in analysis since, after all, tarot leans so naturally in this direction

But what Aerin said really does make sense. It isn't really either-or, since as both you and moderndayruth point out, immediate solutions aren't necessarily successful and lasting. Careful analysis would be pointless if the person doing the analyzing had absolutely no interest whatsoever in making things better in the long run. . .

Starshower said:
eta: Your 1st paragraph makes me wince, since those are the very words my bf attacks me with ... verbatim ... & emphasise the gulf between us

I can't imagine the horror of coming home to find my coworker had, er, morphed into my partner . . .

(Sorry, Starshower, for making light of this. Surely there's a bright side, things the two of you can both enjoy and share . . . )