There are no problems only opportunities

The title of this article I learned to live during the 1980s. Though I still am not one to seek problems because I don't think that's wise still I see the value of the following quote:


There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts.
Richard Bach-----"Illusions"
end quote.

I personally see all this sort of like this philosophically, "Since Descartes is scientifically right when he says, 'There is nothing so good that no bad may come from it and nothing so bad that no good may come from it', realizing this is true as a practical human being here on earth and that though it is theoretically possible that other worlds might exist which are perfect this one we live in isn't that. Seeing this then there is some good in every event no matter how upsetting or horrifying. The difficulty is seeing the good in the event as a human here on earth.

The time I had to face this truism was during a really awful divorce in 1994 with kids aged 5 though 20 involved in the divorce. Though I had been divorced about 12 years before and had gotten custody of my then 3 year old son, facing this divorce straight on I realized might literally kill me or at the very least ruin me or destroy me as a person here on earth.

So my saving grace was when a friend of mine told me that the only way I was going to make it through this difficulty was to take to heart the saying, "There are no problems only opportunities". So, seeing no other recourse I prayed a lot and took this to heart. An incredible weight lifted off me immediately by only seeing any difficulty as an opportunity. Once I had trained myself to think this way I got a new girlfriend, remarried , got a better lawyer and tried to get custody of my 5 year old daughter. Eventually, I got Joint legal custody and could spend 10 weeks a year or more with my daughter traveling all over the world. (We went to Scotland, England, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy when she was 10 with family) And every winter we would ski some in Mt. Shasta, or Lake Tahoe at Squaw Valley. So every year we took a trip to someplace like New Mexico, or Canada or Washington. And my new daughter which is her half sister now is seven years younger. So, if you have a problem always look for the opportunities this problem gives you. If you don't try to see the opportunities in your problems you might not be around much longer. Life is pretty tough after all! It's the wonderful opportunities realized that keep us alive so we still desire to actually be alive.