112. The Trap Of Reason

I sometimes think I can solve a problem just by thinking more clearly about it. With enough careful thought, I will be able to figure out how to make everything work in a way that satisfies my desires and causes no one harm.

And so I think and I reason and I come up with strategies and solutions. But while these solutions work in theory, they are also entirely impractical and there is no real way for me to implement them. I need a solution that is feasible. But my analysis of the feasible options reveals that none of them will do what I want. There will be pain and suffering for me or someone else, and this is what I most want to avoid.

My mistake lies in my attachment to the belief that a perfect solution exists when it does not. And by acting on this belief, I have fallen into the trap of reason, where I endlessly construct and evaluate various options in a futile attempt to reach an unreachable ideal. Instead of finding a way forward, I’ve only taken my attention away from the actions I must take to solve the problem.

For the truth is that a solution is already available. I’m avoiding it because it’s not perfect, ideal, or free of pain and suffering. It might even require me to do something I fear or hate. But it is what I must do, and I knew this from the start.

I was never going to find a way out of difficulty just by thinking more. By allowing myself to overthink the issue, all I did was sink myself deeper into the trap of reason, strengthening my attachment to the belief that a perfect solution was just around the corner.

My problem was never really a problem, but it became one because I was too attached to do what must be done. By releasing my attention and allowing it to be open and free, I can notice my attachment and loosen myself from it. Only then will I be able to devote myself fully to solving the real problems I face through meaningful action.