Problemophilia

The materialist says that the world revolves around money…

The romantic says that the world revolves around love…

I say the world revolves around problems…

We yearn for problems…then when we get them we adopt myriad ways to get rid of those…and when they are gone we start to pine for them again. This is an endless cycle that we choose to call “LIFE”!

Let us take a leisurely stroll across this path…keeping all our problems aside for a while.

A person is born.

The first few decades are spent/wasted on a systematic education where increasingly harder problems are thrown at you and you are expected to grow into a fine specimen of humanity by solving those.

Then once you complete your education you think you have finally conquered the battles…and that your life is going to be free of problems henceforth...which actually translates to infinite boredom.

Soon you miss the old problems you had and the way you had solved them at the snap of fingers. (Did not seem so at the time of solving though.)

But wait…you have a career to secure…and newer and harder problems soon throng your way. Your wish is granted…you have new problems…again you spend years to consolidate your work life. It might seem an esoteric problem but sooner or later every one irons out the creases and solves this one too.

Again you are at that point of time when you have no problem…whine whine whine…crib crib crib…your life is cruising through. It is so boring.

So get married. A whole new world of problems will open up and barring a few unfortunate cases most people will eventually solve these riddles too.

Then what? Life has reached the doldrums again…no problem to solve.

Then people have an epiphany! What if you had a problem that you would really love taking care of no matter what? Yes that is when people have a baby.

A new problem that you would love unconditionally which will supply you with an unending list of newer problems…finally an answer to satisfy the problemophilia.

Sometimes the first born fails to create problems that are challenging enough. That is when people have another child. My analysis says that the second kid is mostly successful in introducing new challenges…they ensure that for the rest of their lives they would not give their parents a chance to complain about dearth of problems!

Deviation: At every transitional phase there are some people who choose not to walk the prescribed path. They have two other options to follow.

1. The world has many unsolved problems (Am not referring to the mathematics puzzles with insane amounts offered as prize money)…Group-1 people choose to dedicate their lives in solving those problems.

2. The world has many unsolved problems. Group-2 people decide that there is no harm in adding a few more and they happily become problems themselves.

Needless to say these two minority groups are way more interesting.

PS: The realist just looked me up and down, hit me on the head and said, “The world revolves around the sun. End of story.”

Transcending into the never never land...

Board-1:

You two share a friendship which has got into an absolute comfort zone.

The world sees that you two care a lot about each other and if asked would not rule out the possibility of a good relationship.

You two know each other, wish each other very well, would probably give and take lives to protect each other...the bond between you two is so strong...that...it almost feels like you two are connected by blood.

Verdict: You two would never become lovers.

You have crossed the line...into the land of ice...

Outcome: Love loses to Friendship...Stalemate.

... ... ...

Board-2:

You two have shared too many coy glances rendering a conversation awkward and impossible.

The world sees that you two do not interact but if asked would not rule out the possibility of a good friendship.

The way your heads spin when your eyes meet, the way you two break off eye contact (with utmost reluctance and yet apparent abruptness) afraid that people around might hear the furor created by your hearts beating in sync, the way you two pull off a perfect charade of nonchalance to ensure that the rest of world remains ignorant...makes it apparent that the inexplicable pull between the two of you is beyond the realm of this vile and prosaic world.

Verdict: You two could never become friends.

You have crossed the line...into the land of fire...

Outcome: Friendship loses to Love...Check and Checkmate.