Photo by Alfred Schrock on Unsplash

I enjoy the transparency of my life. Indeed, what I love most is to live a life of clarity and simplicity. That brings me much happiness, humility, and gratitude. So, today, I would like to share the secret (that is not the secret) of how to create a life of clarity and simplicity by a simple problem-solving tool.

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When we have a problem in our lives, first we recognize the problem, then we may ask why it occurred. Sometimes the problem seems to repeat with a subtle change in its context, condition, and appearance, yet manifest similarly.

Then “why” becomes our first reaction and recognition of the “ongoing” problem. Also, by asking “why,” we intuitively begin to look for the cause of the problem.

We’d have two distinct paths ahead by how we handle the problems from this point onward. One leads us to Nirvana. The other leads to the life of the issues with or without our knowing it.

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One path is not to recognize the problem or identify the root cause, and sometimes deny it and continue to live in the problems, even though we hide them.

I’m not criticizing anyone who leaves the problem alone. I’ve lived long enough to understand every situation is different. It is ultimately the person’s decision on how to handle it. Like chronic illnesses, we learn to live with the ongoing problem that is not a problem. But it really becomes a problem if the person lives in obscurity, blurriness, numbness, or blindness, leading us to the opposite of Nirvana, delusions.

If the person knows what he decided not to do, that would be alright, for now. But, then, when he is ready to uncover the veil, that would be the right time for him.

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The other path is to solve the problem by digging down to explore more “whys.” For example, RCA (Root Cause Analysis) would help us see the deep root of the issues, identify the root cause, find the solution, and prevent the recurrence of the problem. Corporate companies have often used this tool. But in our daily lives, it also encourages anyone to accept what was ongoing and caused the problem.

It would begin with the first “why,” then identify the first answer to the why. Then, a series of iterative well-controlled interrogative “whys,” typically, the Five Whys, and their answers would eventually determine the source of the problem, leading to the solution.

Typically, when we ask the fifth “why” and find the answer, we would be at the root of the problem. The root cause itself, therefore, presents a straightforward solution to the problem.

If we apply this concept of The Five Whys into our lives, we can live our lives with much more clarity and simpler lives, closeness to Nirvana. Thank you very much for reading.

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If you would like, please kindly visit one of my older poems.

https://medium.com/know-thyself-heal-thyself/just-to-be-fa5b1c753464