The right
part of my brain (logic) is stronger than the left (creative) area. I crave the
following:
- Planning
- Order
- Introspection
- Searching for, and implementing, solutions
I think I’m
an intelligent person; however, I don’t always have all the answers. That
doesn’t stop me from going over the same problem again and again in my mind.
Bottom line; it doesn’t help. I usually end up digging a deeper pit of
confusion and misery.
When Digging Doesn’t Get Results
History
tells us that overthinking complicates our lives. Let’s look at three examples:
James A. Garfield, 20th
President of the U.S.
He was shot
by an assassin in 1881. The medical protocol of the time was to extract the
bullet from the body at all costs. This unfortunate man underwent numerous painful
surgeries. Alexander Graham Bell even made a special device to locate the
bullet.
Garfield died of infection leading to
pneumonia. The doctors’ hands and clothes—and the medical instruments—were all
filthy. They even probed his wounds repeatedly with their bare, unsterilized
hands. By the way, the bullet was never found. He went through almost three months
of pain and misery in an uncomfortable, unsanitary setting. Modern methods of
sterilization and a round of antibiotics would have worked wonders.
George Herbert, 5th Earl
of Carnarvon
He is another
man who could have been helped by a simple, immediate solution. The earl was a
wealthy, amateur Egyptologist. His assistant was archaeologist/Egyptologist Howard
Carter. In 1922, they discovered King Tut’s tomb. It was one of the most
prominent archaeological finds in history.
Carnarvon was
bitten by a mosquito. The bite became infected by a razor cut, which poisoned
his blood. Eventually he got pneumonia and died.
Today’s
science tells us the original infection could have probably been stopped by
antibiotics. However, the superstitions of the time created a complicated story
of “The Mummy’s Curse”. In essence, the earl brought disaster on himself when
he dared to disturb the royal tomb.
Charles Goodyear
Anyone who
has heard of the Goodyear Blimp, or the most well-known brand of tire out
there, knows this name. What you may not be familiar with is the story behind
his success. Goodyear actually went into debt and almost ended up in debtors’
prison.
He sold
everything he had to discover the best process for vulcanizing (giving strength
and elasticity to) rubber. Everything he tried was either too hot or too cold.
The procedures either made the rubber melt, or made it too brittle. It was a
long, unsuccessful journey.
He eventually
came across a successful method of vulcanization by accident. When he was
working at the India Rubber Company, he combined sulphur and rubber. He patented the formula in 1844, and the
process is still used today.
My Conclusion
“He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those
whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just, and protects the
way of his faithful ones.”—Proverbs 2:7-8
“Drop it. Leave it. Let God fight
your battles.”—Joel Osteen
Life is
often illogical. We live on Earth, not Vulcan. Overanalyzing certain events or
people doesn’t always clarify matters, either. Often, it muddies the waters
even more.
We often get
our biggest breakthroughs when we take a step back and stop pushing for order
and understanding. That’s the place where miracles happen. That’s the place
where God is finally able to take over.
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