“If experience is about wealth, then I’m a very wealthy person.”
— Dr Gregory Smith (former sociopath)
As I sat there watching the Year 4 students as they were led
through a drama class, the teacher taught them an element of drama that I never
before knew. Drama revolves around a problem — if there’s no problem then there’s
no story, no narrative, nothing stimulating to pique the onlooker’s interest.
Dr Gregory Smith is an incredibly interesting person. His story,
here. Someone who grew
up in the dramatic horrors of domestic violence, was orphaned, convicted of
arson but relieved of the burden of paying for that crime due to reasons of
temporary insanity; who lived in a forest for ten years. Finally, in his late
forties he came upon an epiphany. He learned something that turned his world
upside down (as if he hadn’t already lived an upside down life).
Smith learned that his extreme antisocial patterns of behaviour
were due to the fact he had been fighting himself all along. He was central to
his own problems.
Having learned this powerfully fundamental and paradoxical truth
— that when we admit we’re the problem only then are we free to provide our own
solutions — Smith was finally able to commence the wrestle of reconciling the
drama of his astonishingly theatrical life.
When we finally discover that problems are inherently part of the
theatre that life is, we’re positioned to transcend our problems through the
provision of solutions, which could not come otherwise.
The theatre of life is only interesting, and only evokes
passion, when we have problems to overcome. See how problems are principally part
of God’s plan?
Accept that problems are part of life and, with passion, prime
yourself for adventure.
When we take this approach, thankfulness informs our narrative, gratitude
emerges, and, as persons, we thrive.
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