THE PROBLEM MONGER

THE PROBLEM  MONGER

      Suresh was working  as a Deputy Manager in a Multi-national computer Company and apart from the routine job he handled ,he was also involved in teaching managerial skills and problem solving methods to his staff. It was a hectic am to pm job, requiring diplomacy ,finesse ,tackling problem that crop up  and surmounting them immediately ,be it hardware or software so much so the company went about its business smoothly  and efficiently.

     He was nicknamed PS (Problem solver ) or the worst DME (Disaster management expert). The worst scenario was managing problems among the staff, without siding anyone and sometimes taking the blame himself to neutralize the situation. In the Office he was always at the helm of a problem and it accompanied him everywhere he went.

     At home, he similarly attended to all the problems in a professional way, but of course without venturing to  verify it or forgetting about it later.  He used to boast to everyone about his capacity to solve all problems, be  at office or home. He did not find it stressful or physically or mentally taxing, rather he took it in its stride and felt relaxed after solving a problem. Sometimes if he could not solve it then he allowed time to do the job, as time was the greatest healer. He did not know that it was silently affecting him.

     It all ended one day in the Office. There was a major problem in the company for which a meeting was summoned by the manager . The problem was discussed threadbare and in the mêlée someone levelled  a charge and the discussion became heated  Finally it all turned against Suresh for his inability to fore think and prevent the catastrophe. Suresh was fending and scaffolding it well ,but as it continued unabated ,Suresh felt a little dizzy and fell down.

     He was rushed to the hospital and an echocardiogram after an electrocardiogram showed a three vessel block  for which  an emergency  bypass surgery was done. The solution to his medical problem was surgery. He found himself strapped to all size of gizmos,   confining him to a bed . After a week he found it worse than a prison where one can at least move around,  the only difference was the societal acceptance and  that  beautiful nurses were professionally  clamouring around checking the monitors attached to him. After discharge he opted for voluntary retirement and the procedure moved so fast that he found himself, one day sitting in his lawn relaxing and reading a paper.

     After a week ,he felt boredom gnawing at  him. He was restive and wished he had not gone for premature retirement. He had done it on the advice of the treating surgeon. He missed  his habit of analysing problems and deftly managing them.

      He looked around in his house ,but could not find anything. Probably he was not good at actually finding one, it was always handed to him in a platter, at his office or at home .He started hunting and looking for problems; he had a natural flair and penchant for it.. He found many and  discussed it with his family. Many were solved and some became  a bone  of contention. A peaceful house earlier, where he would just solve a problem and forget it , now turned into a battlefield, as he was persistent till it was resolved .

      He became a problem monger. His family members showed restraint as he had a feeble heart. His problem mongering itself became a problem. On a Sunday he wanted a discussion with his family as it was getting on his nerves.

     Sunday morning all were ready. His wife set the rules.  No shouting ,no levelling of charges . He started with a simple question which  he wished would elicit a direct equally simple answer.                “You all  presented problems when I was working, and you all accepted the solution I offered. What is your problem now? You defy my solutions”                                                                                         All exchanged glances and kept quiet."I wish and expect you  all to be frank with me”. The surreptitious glances continued, and for all,  the answers were hard to pronounce and appeared to be stuck. Finally his Post graduate daughter calmly revealed it . “ Daddy,  you were too busy to even speak to us. You would nod  your head ,say something in a low voice and go to your room ending up opening the laptop with  fatigue and tiredness written large in your face.. We were all worried about it. Once we happen to discuss a real problem and you were all ears. You responded very well and we could see your spirit lift up. So, we started imagining problems and sought your solution daily, just for the sake of interacting with you and lifting your mood.”. "So ,you mean to say that you cooked up problems and they weren’t real.   

“Yes daddy ,we are very sorry.  We feel bad we are also responsible for your present  problem” she said with tears in her red eyes.

     Now when he started opening up the real problems, there were no takers in his family as they understood the gravity of discussing problems with him and avoided them.

     This news was an eye- opener for him. It made him view “The Problem” in a new perspective. He  was a problem solver taking all the burden on his shoulders and engaging in its solution ,both at the office and at home. .All the others passed the buck to him and lessened their burden; they were  problem oriented and neutralised it deftly. They had their problem solved through him without batting an eye-lid.

     This slowly affected his health and in the end ,when problems were not handed in a platter to him at home ,he started inventing them. He became a problem monger. He have to get rid of this obsession of  producing problems and managing  them. 

    “If all learnt to solve their problems themselves without passing the buck, then it would certainly lessen the stress in each one of them” his daughter  capped it up so very nicely.

      He did not have the forethought  early to analyse it. “I wish I had the wisdom to understand it earlier”. He  mused.                                       ‘.