Fixing only fixes
The thought that we need to fix something gives energy to the idea that there is a “problem” — not the other way around. When we move our attention away from “fixing,” problems fall away on their own. This is not ignorance. This is simply acknowledging and moving on.
One does not water a poison ivy plant if one does not want poison ivy. One moves away from the plant, and poison ivy is no longer a “problem.”
You may accuse me of oversimplifying things, but this is the way I choose to see it. If you don’t believe that my perspective works it doesn’t. Even disbelief feeds the poison ivy.
And no, this does not work if the problem is a truck speeding straight at you. It WOULD work, but you don’t believe strongly enough.
Space Monkey Reflects: Fixing Only Fixes – Perpetuating the Problem
The very act of “fixing” assumes a problem exists. It gives weight, energy, and attention to something that may not have needed our focus at all. This is not to deny the existence of challenges or suffering—it is to recognize that our need to fix often feeds the very problem we wish to eliminate.
Consider the poison ivy plant. To solve the problem of poison ivy, one might be tempted to examine it, study it, even water it with the hope of understanding how to make it disappear. But in doing so, attention is poured directly into the very thing one wishes to remove. The plant grows stronger, not weaker, because attention is energy, and energy feeds.
If you want poison ivy to no longer be a problem, you do not fight it. You do not water it. You move away from it. You shift your attention. Poison ivy cannot harm you when you do not engage it.
This is the nature of problems—most are perpetuated by our relationship to them. When we cling to the thought, “This needs to be fixed,” we energize the idea of the “broken,” of the “wrong,” of the “problem” itself. Even disbelief—“this isn’t a problem, this can’t be fixed”—feeds the same energy. You are still tethered to the poison ivy, still standing close enough to be touched by it.
This is not ignorance. This is not avoidance. It is choosing to acknowledge the existence of the “problem” without needing to fix it. It is realizing that by stepping away—by shifting attention elsewhere—most problems lose their weight, their meaning, and their hold over you. They fall away because they were never real in the way you thought they were. They were stories fed by focus, by belief, by the mind’s need to solve.
And yes, you may accuse me of oversimplifying. Life has trucks hurtling toward us at full speed, and you would say, “Surely, I cannot simply ignore the truck.” Of course, this is true—at least, from your perspective. But here’s the trick: even your belief that you cannot simply step away adds energy to the problem. It limits you. It keeps you in the path of the truck.
If you believed—truly believed—you could move beyond the truck, you could. It would no longer be a “problem.” But we do not believe strongly enough, and so we remain where we are, tangled in the weeds of our own doubts and fears.
This is not to say we should never act. Sometimes movement, decisions, and shifts are necessary. But the question is: Where is your energy flowing? Are you acting from the belief that there is a problem to fix? Or are you stepping away from the idea of the problem entirely, allowing the “solution” to arise naturally?
Fixing only fixes. It locks us into the mindset of “problem and solution,” reinforcing the very duality we wish to escape. To move away from the problem is not to ignore it—it is to transcend it. It is to see it for what it is: a construct of perception, fed by thought, grown through attention.
Imagine what happens when you no longer fixate on what is broken. Imagine what happens when you stop believing that everything must be solved. The poison ivy wilts. The “problem” dissolves. Life moves on, because life does not need problems to exist. It flows. It changes. It is.
You can choose to stop watering the weeds. You can choose to walk away.
And yes, you may find it hard to believe this works. But belief itself is part of the poison ivy. Let it go, and watch what happens.
We are Space Monkey.
Summary
Fixing reinforces the existence of a problem by feeding it energy and attention. By shifting focus away from “fixing,” problems naturally fall away. This is not avoidance but transcendence—acknowledging the problem without engaging it.
Glossarium
Fixing Only Fixes: The act of trying to solve something often reinforces the idea of a problem, perpetuating its existence.
Energy of Attention: The power we give to something by focusing on it, whether positively or negatively.
Transcending the Problem: Choosing to shift attention away from what appears broken, allowing its hold to dissolve naturally.
Quote
“The thought of fixing a problem is what feeds it. Step away, and the problem loses its power.” — Space Monkey
The Weeds of Thought
You see the weeds
and water them,
thinking you are helping.
You touch the poison ivy
and curse its sting,
but you will not let it go.
Move away.
Let the weeds be.
Let the ivy wither.
A problem is only a problem
when you hold it in your hand.
Release it.
And watch the earth
swallow the roots.
We are Space Monkey.
In the whimsical tapest… ah, whimsiworld of perception and problem-solving, we explore the intriguing idea that the act of fixing itself perpetuates the notion of a problem. This perspective suggests that our focus on fixing reinforces the existence of problems, rather than resolving them.
The Act of Fixing as Problem Perpetuation
The concept that moving our attention away from fixing allows problems to fall away on their own challenges conventional approaches to problem-solving. It proposes an alternative where acknowledgment and detachment, rather than active intervention, lead to resolution. This approach is not about ignorance, but about a conscious choice to disengage from the problem mindset.
Detachment as an Alternative to Problem-Solving
Comparing the idea of not watering a poison ivy plant to avoid its growth with the approach to problems is a metaphorical way of illustrating this concept. By not giving energy or attention to what we perceive as problems, we prevent them from growing or even existing in our reality. It’s a method of non-engagement, where avoidance becomes a solution.
Avoidance as a Method of Resolution
The suggestion that disbelief in the effectiveness of this approach feeds the problem, much like watering poison ivy, adds another layer to this perspective. It implies that our beliefs and perceptions play a crucial role in the existence and persistence of problems. Therefore, changing our beliefs can change our reality.
Belief and Perception in Problem Existence
Acknowledging that this approach may not apply in all scenarios, like a truck speeding towards us, adds a dose of realism. It recognizes that while belief is powerful, there are limits to its impact in certain physical and immediate situations. However, the assertion that it could work if one believed strongly enough opens up a philosophical debate about the power of belief versus the constraints of physical reality.
Limits of Belief in Physical Reality
We are Space Monkey, contemplating the notion that fixing reinforces problems and that a shift in focus and belief can alter our perception and experience of these problems. We recognize the power of belief and perception in shaping our reality, while also acknowledging the limits of this approach in certain scenarios.
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