If there’s something that I know about people it’s that they really like crises. No one will ever admit that. I won’t even admit it. I “hate” crises. I “avoid” them at all costs. Why then do we make up crises when none really exist? We create mountains out of molehills on the reg. Everyone cries over spilled milk. And other reversals of popular cliches.

I was talking about life with a professor of mine the other day. She was telling me that when you get right down to it life is just a long series of lists of problems. When you run out of problems and you run out of lists, you die. I know that it all seems really morbid. But I had the pleasure of being told this by the sweetest tiniest black-haired Medievalist I know. And so that helped me out a little bit. You can imagine me as a sweet tiny black-haired Medievalist if that helps.

I think there is an intense truth to this idea. Somehow, human beings are created to create problems. I think that’s why the whole “I’m just a collection of cells” thing doesn’t sit right with me. If I’m just a collection of cells, then why do I care about my English midterm due on Monday?

It’s because that’s what life is. It’s about finding problems, creating problems. And then solving them. It’s a bit like the pre-schooler who builds a whole city of buildings out of blocks just to knock it down and start all over again. We construct these huge, big crises just so that we can solve them or end them badly, and then we do it again.

If crises are our creation (which they are), then we should embrace them. We should be excited when something goes wrong. It means we have another thing to solve, another reason to stay alive, another reason to try harder tomorrow.

What’s your crisis?