This article is classified "Real"
There are many approaches to solving problems. One approach is to
generalise the problem, during which certain assumptions are made. Though
this can sometimes allow you to form conclusions about the problem, making
it possible to examine the problem in a more relevant way, it is often the
case that you will be provided with a complete set of totally generalised
conclusions, and your expedition into problem solving will have made a
complete circle, to no avail.
Probably the best way to solve a problem is to approach it and plan its
examination based on facts you already know about it. For instance, if you
are presented with a problem, "How do you get from one side of a road to
another," it is reasonably safe to assume that asking yourself, "What did I
have for breakfast this morning?"[1] will not lead to an answer. Many
events in life are connected, but this sort of connection tends to make a
mockery of reality.
If you are faced with a problem that you have been told "cannot be solved",
without accompanying proof of that statement, it is possible that its
classification is incorrect. In the opinion of some no problem is
unsolvable, though in reality there are always exceptions to generalised
rules. Usually, if you are told that a problem cannot be solved, and you
are not inclined to argue with this judgement, the problem can be safely
left alone, and if necessary a neat tick mark can be applied physically,
or otherwise, in the appropriate place. If, however, you take it upon
yourself to examine a problem in this classification, you should also be
prepared to find that the categorisation is absolutely correct.
A lot of problems are said to "solve themselves." This is a false
assumption. In the real universe, an action will lead to a consequence, and
likewise, a consequence must be the result of some action, however small,
and at whatever point. This can be proved if you are inclined to examine
relevant systems to the necessary level of complexity, though this has been
seen by some as a pointless exercise.
The concept of luck can also play a large part in the solving of problems,
as a solution can be obtained by a chance occurance, for example, an
accidental chemical spillage that brings together two elements to create a
new and useful compound. Luck, however, is not a scientificly observable
thing and is merely a way of describing fortune in the past tense. If you
are fortunate enough to discover the solution to your problem this way, it
may still be necessary to prove or demonstrate your method, and therein will
lie a problem.
It is often the case that persistance will lead to an answer, but even the
most determined people will fail to solve many of the problems they are
faced with, and will perhaps become disheartened by this. Sometimes, this
dispirited feeling may lead to subsequent problems failing to be solved,
setting in motion a chain reaction.
Very often, a problem will have to be solved in a certain amount of time.
If you have no idea how the problem should be approached, it is extremely
dificult to plan that time. In these instances, it is usually a good idea
to provide for a "planning" period before you sit down and do anything.
Apathy may lead to a necessity to find time to do this when you are
incapable of doing anything else. It has been observed that insomniacs are
more likely to produce an approach to a problem after one night, than many
others are after several days.
Almost without doubt or exception, it is always easier to solve someone
else's problems than your own. The reason for this is that a close
proximity to a problem will hinder your approach, as many obstacles will
prevent you from performing certain actions, simply because of the fact that
they may seem relevant when they are not. Pressure is also a constraint,
and can sometimes provide the most effective barrier to the formation of a
solution.
Solving problems, especially larger problems, can induce the highest degrees
of satisfaction. It is the case that, with people who have yet to solve a
particular problem, they can experience the opposite and equal bouts of
anxiety, depression, or even death [2]. This is the why many unsolved
problems are hidden from sight, forgotten about, eventually to return to
plague you in a much larger guise. It is therefore better to solve small
problems while they still are small problems.
[1] Ed.: The fat man from "the Meaning of Life" of Monty Python is probably
the only exception in this case.
[2] This obviously depends on the nature of the problem.