The Difference Between Solving and Understanding

Modern life teaches us to solve.

Solve problems, symptoms, uncertainty.

Solve ourselves.

But in my experience not everything that matters is a problem.

Some things are mysteries.

Some things are grief.

Some things are seasons.

Some things are questions that change us more than they yield answers.

Understanding is different from solving.

Solving seeks closure.

Understanding seeks relationship.

Solving asks:

"How do I get rid of this?"

Understanding asks:

"What is this asking of me?"

Sometimes solutions are exactly what we need.

But sometimes what we need is not a faster answer.

It is a deeper relationship with what is unfolding.

The ability to problem-find, rather than problem-solve.

Perhaps wisdom begins when we recognize the difference.