WHEN THERE’S NO PROBLEM, WE CREATE ONE

Characters:

Madhukar – A calm, barefoot hermit in his 60s, living off-grid

Arun – A 35-year-old urban man who has everything but peace

---

Arun: I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Life is fine. Good income. Family is okay. No diseases. But I feel… disturbed.

Madhukar: Hmm. When did this disturbance begin?

Arun: Honestly, it began after I fixed all the big problems in my life.

Madhukar: Ah. The disease of no disease.

Arun: What?

Madhukar: You are not alone. When people have no external enemy, they turn inward and fight themselves. Or their loved ones.

Arun: That’s true. I started picking fights with my wife. Pointless things. Socks. Towels. Even the way she breathes.

Madhukar: Because peace became unfamiliar. You mistook calm for boredom. Emptiness for something wrong.

Arun: But isn’t it natural to want… more?

Madhukar: More what?

Arun: I don’t know. Just… something more. Something exciting.

Madhukar: So even when life is okay, you want pain dressed as drama. Because that’s the only way you feel alive?

Arun: (pauses) That sounds true and ugly.

Madhukar: You were trained for it. Since childhood, you were rewarded only when solving a problem. Exams, fights, assignments, heartbreaks.

Arun: So, I feel useful only when there’s a problem?

Madhukar: Not just useful. You feel real. Problems make your ego feel important. It can say, “Look at me. I’m handling this. I’m struggling. I matter.”

Arun: So without problems… I don’t matter?

Madhukar: That’s what the world made you believe. But it’s a lie.

---

I. THE ROOTS: HOW IT BEGINS IN CHILDHOOD

Arun: Why do we need problems so badly?

Madhukar: Because we never learnt how to rest in peace — while alive.

Arun: That’s dark.

Madhukar: And true. As children, if you were peaceful, they said you’re lazy. If you sat quietly, they asked, “What’s wrong?”

Arun: Yes! Even silence was punished.

Madhukar: You were taught that to exist, you must constantly do, prove, worry, chase, fix, or compete.

Arun: And I carried that into adulthood?

Madhukar: Like a loyal dog. Even when the leash was off, you stayed tied to it.

---

II. SELF-SABOTAGE: HOW PEACE IS KILLED

Arun: So what do people do when there’s no real problem?

Madhukar:

They start comparing.

They dig up the past.

They project imaginary futures.

They invent personal insecurities.

They poke old wounds to feel pain.

They sabotage calm relationships.

They change jobs, houses, partners — because peace feels alien.

Arun: That’s terrifyingly accurate.

Madhukar: Some even fall sick. Not physically. But psychosomatically. Because sickness gives attention, care, a break from performance.

Arun: So we can get addicted to chaos?

Madhukar: Not can. We are. Chaos is our cigarette.

---

III. SOCIETAL STIMULATION & MEDIA MADNESS

Arun: Is this just personal psychology or is society also doing this to us?

Madhukar: Society is the dealer. You’re the addict.

Arun: Meaning?

Madhukar:

News must create panic.

Ads must create lack.

Schools must create pressure.

Religion must create fear.

Government must create enemies.

If you are at peace, who will vote? Who will buy? Who will obey?

Arun: So they keep giving me more problems… to stay in control?

Madhukar: Yes. And if they run out, they invent new ones:

“Your toothpaste isn’t white enough.”

“Your child isn’t scoring enough.”

“Your lifestyle isn’t successful enough.”

“Your country is under threat.”

“Your soul is in danger.”

Arun: And I believe them?

Madhukar: Because they use the most effective method — disguised concern.

---

IV. RELATIONSHIPS BUILT ON FIXING

Arun: I think I’ve done this with my wife too. Trying to “fix” her.

Madhukar: Yes. Because fixing is safer than feeling.

Arun: What do you mean?

Madhukar: When you try to fix someone, you feel superior. When you sit with them in silence, you face yourself.

Arun: Damn.

Madhukar: Even friendships today are based on problem-sharing. If one friend becomes peaceful, others get suspicious. "Why is he so silent? Why is he not suffering?"

Arun: So even love has become a problem-centred equation?

Madhukar: Yes. Not a celebration. But a therapy room.

---

V. THE SPIRITUAL TRAP

Arun: Is spirituality any better?

Madhukar: It depends. True spirituality ends problems. False spirituality sells problems in disguise.

Arun: Like how?

Madhukar:

“You have karmic blocks.”

“You need to cleanse this energy.”

“You’re stuck in your past life.”

“You need 3 crystals and 7 healings.”

It’s just a new vocabulary of suffering.

Arun: So we even turned spirituality into a stimulant?

Madhukar: Yes. Because people don’t want silence. They want spiritual drama.

---

VI. WHAT HAPPENS IF I STOP CREATING PROBLEMS?

Arun: Okay, let’s say I stop creating problems. Then what?

Madhukar: Then you will go through withdrawal. Like an addict.

Arun: I’ll feel empty?

Madhukar: You’ll feel groundless. As if you’re floating. But stay there. Don’t rush to fill the void.

Arun: What will happen?

Madhukar: One day, you’ll realize — peace was never boring. You were just not present enough to taste it.

---

VII. SO, WHAT DO I DO NOW?

Arun: So, what should I do when nothing is wrong?

Madhukar:

Sit under a tree.

Dig the soil.

Cook slowly.

Watch the sky.

Listen to someone.

Do nothing and don’t apologize for it.

Arun: That sounds beautiful. But hard.

Madhukar: Only because your nervous system is addicted to stimulation. But with gentle practice, you’ll feel joy in stillness.

Arun: Can I heal this addiction?

Madhukar: Yes. Start by recognizing when you’re creating a problem just to feel alive. Then pause. Breathe. Don’t act on it.

---

VIII. THE FINAL TRUTH

Arun: Tell me one last truth, Madhukar.

Madhukar: When all your problems are gone, the final one remains:

"Who am I without problems?"

Face that question.

Not with panic.

But with presence.

That’s where life truly begins.

---