Problems cannot be solved with the same consciousness that created the problem
— Albert Einstein
Einstein got to the heart of the issue of problems in this quote. Solutions to problems that don’t take a different approach will result in the “same old crap.”
The local government in California wants to solve their homeless problem, so they build lots of free housing. But the problem gets worse. So they double down and build more housing, but the problem doesn’t go away. The government forgot that there is also a massive drug abuse problem, and the community is a haven for drug users because these crimes don’t get prosecuted. The government even hands out free needles so that users can safely shoot up. Turns out that drug users could care less about housing. It’s Cali and the weather is warm enough year-round. Users are more interested in getting together to buy and use, so building more housing is pointless. But of course the government KNOWS that the solution to the homeless problem is building more housing... and so it goes.
Einstein also said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” This is essentially a restatement of the consciousness quote.
When you’re really stuck in a problem, all of your solutions never go outside the box. The difficulty with problems is that all of your thoughts are constrained to a limited, restricted range of solutions, all of which are at the vibration of the problem itself.
For instance, a typical thought pattern I had on the problem of money went something like this:
How do I get more money? I can only work so hard so my income is limited. Yes, but you could hire more people. But I don’t want to have to deal with their screw-ups, and besides there’s health insurance and workmen’s compensation and taxes to take care of. Ok, then don’t hire anyone. Yeah, but how am I going to make more money if I don’t bid out more work? etc.
Here’s me at various different positions on the track, trying more and more different ways to “solve” my problem:
The Problem Racetrack
A problem is vibrationally closed, and I am inside it. Why am I inside it? Because I created it and am stuck in it. I’m trying different solutions, but they are all at the same level of consciousness.
Unfortunately, the reason problems recur has nothing to do with the components of the problem because those components are all at the same vibration as the problem. So changing the components always leads to slightly different, but unsatisfactory, results. In our vibrational view of consciousness and the universe, the origin of any problem lies within the individuals, groups, organizations, and nations that are affected by the problem.
It is your vibrational signal that continues to attract the same people and circumstances.
The solution, as always, is a change in consciousness: The creation of a different state of being that led to the creation of the problem. Instead of throwing money at the components of the problem, which is what governments and committees do.
In Baltimore, 23 schools have zero students proficient in math, per state test results. Most big American cities have similar test results. The solution offered? “We need more money.”
Nah.
One out-of-the-box solution is to declare that math is “racist” and lower standards, but that solution is at a lower consciousness than the problem! So that won’t work. How about changing out textbooks and employing teaching methods from an earlier period when math proficiency was much higher? You know, get some textbooks from the 1950s and use that teaching method. Hah! Can you imagine what the Dept. of Education and the teachers unions and the textbook publishers would say about that? Well, you can’t solve problems with the same consciousness that created the problem. That’s what government and bureaucracies do: continue running around the Problem Racetrack and enforcing the status quo.
The Problem Racetrack is almost impossible to get out of because those invested in the current situation identify strongly with it. Therefore, any change to the system is regarded by those participating in it as a personal insult. This is sometimes called “bureaucratic inertia,” and it is an apt description.
The Problem Racetrack is, and has been, an intractable problem in human affairs for the past 6,000 years. It’s probably why systems and civilizations collapse, because of the inability to step back and consider a solution based on a different state of being.
A real solution to any problem requires a change in consciousness.
This is a brutal fact that humanity has never collectively confronted, except for rare individuals who find the time to step back and create a new state of being, a new consciousness. Then, new solutions that resonate to a higher vibration are accessible. The Overton Window shifts to a higher level of awareness. A life can follow an upward trajectory to greater happiness and success.
The current deteriorating situation in government, the economy, and in finance may result in a forced change of consciousness. Some people call this the Great Awakening. However it happens, we cannot continue as a species on the Problem Racetrack.