Recently, I have explained the relationship between empathy and logical sense. I have gradually understood how to handle our problems. Let’s visualize it so that we can see it clearly.
How to make our lives easier
Sometimes, we want to make our lives easier. Although we are doing our best to the limit, we cannot feel at ease.
We often feel like we are going back and forth to the same place. Our current worries are something we have experienced many times. That makes us feel like there is no progress in our lives.
For example, we might want more money, despite our extreme frugal living. That urges us to immerse ourselves in work. However, we remember we experienced it months ago, one year ago, and two years ago.
That makes us feel like we are returning to the same place over and over again. We suppose that our efforts were in vain. We are tempted to be depressed.
Logically speaking, that is natural. That problem is not worth solving with all your might. You should relax more and face the problem.
Today, I will explain why. This logic will free you from exhaustion and make your life easier.
Two kinds of problems
We don’t have to balance with all our might. It requires a calm sensation rather than strength.
It is similar to skiing and skating. It is easier to achieve balance by relaxing rather than tensing all your muscles.
When we regularly encounter the same problem, it is a cyclical issue. A loss of balance causes it.
There are two kinds of problems, as follows:
- Ordinary problems don’t recur once we solve them.
- The problem of balance occurs every time we lose our balance.
When we face the same problem many times, it is the latter—the problem of balance. It has no certain answer. We can only compromise by finding a reasonable balance.
What is a cyclical problem?
We tend to have certain patterns in solving troubles. That causes cyclical problems.
For example, suppose a person has potential problems with money, health, and relationships with society. This is illustrated in the following image:
His changing balance causes his cyclical problem. Let’s look at his process below.
- When he has a health problem, he tries to solve it by using money and reducing social interaction. In other words, he prioritizes health and downplays the importance of the other elements.
- After he feels better, he tends to want to contribute to society. He spends his money and health. Naturally, money becomes the most lacking element since he also spent money in the previous step.
- That makes him feel a sense of urgency about money and desire it. It decreases the priority of his health and social contribution. In this state, health is the element that has been sacrificed the most. That makes him focus on the health problem.
- He emphasizes his health. Then, return to the first step. It becomes a cyclical problem.
Empathy vs. logical sense
We can easily solve the cyclical problem by balancing them.
We have two senses to judge, as follows:
- Empathy makes us focus on only one problem. That makes us focus on it with all our efforts. Although this approach works well for a matter with a certain answer, it is poor at cyclical issues.
- Logical sense makes us overview the flow of the problem. Although it doesn’t provide us with the power of endurance, it is efficient in balancing cyclical issues.
They tell us that the latter reduces the stress of the recurring matters.
Why rationality makes our lives easier
Using rationality in a cyclical problem can be described as the following image:
Every cyclical problem has a center axis of balance. Although it is difficult to identify the perfect point, there is a reasonable area.
The more empathic we become, the farther away from the central point we will be. Empathy makes us focus on one problem at a time. We try to be as energetic as possible and do our best to solve it.
That is why we encounter the same problems and are exhausted. Handling with full effort means strong decisiveness and drastic changes. If we repeat such stressful decisions and changes, it is natural to be worn out.
On the other hand, if we become more rational, we can get closer to the center axis. Rationality provides us with relaxation and effectiveness, which allows us to understand the cycle. In other words, we become lazy but still achieve results.
That makes it easier to satisfy our wants. We know it doesn’t require drastic changes. A slight adjustment provides us with the same effect as our full effort.
Moreover, we have less stress. That relaxation gives us the curiosity that leads to a breakthrough.
In other words, we understand that fatigue has prevented us from having new interests.
Conclusion
That is why we are returning to the same place over and over again.
A cyclical problem requires neither maximum effort nor strong endurance. It requires rationality rather than strength.
This logic will free you from exhaustion and make your life easier.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope to see you in the next one.
