Probleming the Solutions that We Create

Several nights ago I dreamed a peculiar dream. It was peculiar enough that I've been reflecting on it since.

I dreamed that I walked into a business establishment with a bright and open front room. It turned out to be a gym of sorts, except it was a gym with minimal equipment. Rather, this gym had plenty of floor space to do exercise. I remember thinking to myself, That's funny, I wonder why people would pay for this. I eventually dropped down and did some push-ups, and was subsequently billed for the calories I burned doing exercise. I wasn't too happy with that. I didn't use any of their equipment, received no personal instruction, and furthermore - I felt as if I could have done the same thing on my own. After being charged, the employee mentioned that he had a courtesy gift for me, and that I would have to exit through a different door to pick it up. The employee pointed me toward a doorway that led into a large, dimly-lit warehouse, filled with row after row of confectionery perfections. Any single dessert you could imagine was there. Imagine a sleek Willy Wonka factory. The desserts looked great, smelled amazing, and all were ready to eat. And I was privy to any one of them. Then I woke up.

The company enticed its customers to buy into a cyclical system. They rewarded people who worked out by giving them junk food that they would need to burn off at some point. That business existed, not to make a positive difference in its customers or community, but to make money. It literally skimmed the extra cash out of its customers' wallets without providing lasting benefits. Seems pretty ingenious for a business venture, even if it's a bit too overt to persuade most people from joining. Doesn't it sound silly?

Yes, it sure does.

But isn't that what we do? Don't we gorge ourselves with junk food at one place and then go and workout at another? Aren't we often guilty of creating the problems that we must solve later?

In a more metaphysical sense, why do we feel compelled to buy into the problems that we create?

I guess this is one reason I commute by bicycle. I believe that in my life, a bicycle solves much greater and more numerous problems than it creates.