Project Vision 21

Recently, I ran into a problem that, I assumed, would be resolved quickly and easily within a few minutes. But it soon became clear that this would not be the case. After several unsuccessful attempts to solve the issue, I finally realized that I was trying to fix a problem that did not actually exist while, at the same time, ignoring the real problem.

Let me explain.

The arrival of warm weather in the area where I live means reopening the automatic sprinkler system that had been shut down months earlier because of the cold weather. The process is simple: open the main water valve, open the valve that directs the water flow, and use the control panel to program the watering days, times, and duration.

After opening the main valve, I opened the irrigation valve and discovered that, instead of sending water to the sprinkler system, the water was shooting uncontrollably upward. I then disassembled the internal components of the valve, inspected and cleaned them, and reinstalled everything. The result was exactly the same. Clearly, something was not working.

As a precaution, I always keep spare replacement parts for those components. So I disassembled the valve again, installed the new parts, and once more opened the water valve. And once again, the water shot upward instead of flowing into the sprinkler system. I thought I had installed something incorrectly, so I took everything apart and reassembled it one more time, but the result remained unchanged.

Feeling almost defeated, I finally decided to consult the website of the company that manufactures the valve that had caused me so many problems. One of the videos I found there explained that, in situations like the one I could not solve, the problem was not in the valve itself, but rather that one of the underground shutoff valves, which should have been completely closed, had been left open.

I immediately located the valve in question and, within seconds and with almost no effort, closed it. I reopened the irrigation valve, and this time the water flowed exactly as it should.

In the end, I had spent hours trying to solve a problem that did not exist, without realizing that the solution was not among the elements on which I had focused my attention.

The experience led me to reflect on how, in many areas of life, and especially in interpersonal relationships (including finances), we at some point make the mistake, often without realizing it, of focusing on solving problems that do not actually exist. As a consequence, nothing gets resolved, even when the real solution is within our reach.

There is little doubt that we are so overwhelmed and exhausted by constant change and growing uncertainty that we have little desire, and even less energy, to shift the perspective from which we view our problems so that, from that new perspective, we might finally discover the solution we have been seeking.

One thing is clear: nothing in our lives will be solved if we continue, out of immaturity, incompetence, or simple carelessness, searching for solutions to nonexistent problems.