The Inevitability of Problems

One morning, I woke up in a terrible mood. As if that weren’t enough, my inbox greeted me with a few small issues. Because of my mindset, these minor problems felt like urgent crises. Later that day, over lunch with a friend, I vented about my morning struggles.

After listening patiently, my friend asked me a simple yet profound question:

“Did you think there would be a point in your life when you had no problems at all? That one morning, you’d wake up, and there would be nothing to deal with? No to-do lists? Do you really want that? Life is largely about solving problems, and you are capable of handling them.”

At that moment, I realized my core issue was not the problems themselves but my perspective on them. Subconsciously, I had been thinking that I should eliminate all problems and avoid new ones. Though this belief seemed absurd when said aloud, I had been emotionally reacting to challenges as if they were exceptions rather than the rule. But the truth is, there will never be a time when life is free from complications.

Problems Are Not an Exception—They Are the Rule

Life is a continuous series of obstacles. Expecting to live without encountering problems is like expecting to swim without getting wet. The unpredictability of daily existence guarantees that, sooner or later, something will break, an inconvenience will arise, or an unexpected setback will occur.

A machine you rely on will eventually fail. This is inevitable. You will catch a cold, your flight will be delayed, or your baggage will be lost. At some point, you will get injured and need medical attention. There is no alternate reality where these things don’t happen. Believing otherwise leads to unnecessary frustration, which only makes these situations harder to navigate.

Ironically, this frustration itself is another problem to solve. The way to address it is simple: expect problems. Acknowledge them as an integral part of life.

Life Is a Game of Challenges

Think of life as a video game. No engaging game has a level where nothing happens. If it did, it would be incredibly dull. Similarly, our existence is designed around overcoming obstacles. Problems are not interruptions; they are the game itself.

Rather than resisting them, we can learn to accept and even appreciate the challenge they present. Every issue, big or small, is an opportunity to adapt, grow, and refine our approach to life.

So, instead of asking, “Why do I have to deal with this?” we should ask, “How can I solve this?”

Problems will never disappear, but our relationship with them can transform. And in that transformation lies the secret to a more resilient, fulfilling life.

In the words of Marcus Aurelius: “The obstacle in the path becomes the path.” Walk on.