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Saturday May 20, 2017

 

If we don’t reinvent ourselves, who will?

I found inspiration recently in these words, about food: “If hunger isn’t the problem, then eating isn’t the solution”. It got me thinking, about other problems – and whether we are looking at them deeply enough to find the best solution, or if we are just repeating a falsehood expecting a good result somehow?

Identifying solutions is stock and trade of so many organizations and individuals.

Buying anything large and small, or even larger has become so simplified. Point-click-app for that; buy an airliner or ticket on one, buy a knee or a hip or get your snake-oil on line – you can get whatever you want without visiting Alice or her restaurant …

It’s much like algebra class in junior high, solving for X. 

X is the unknown factor, but we learn to use logic and math to figure out what we don’t know. Advanced math deals with multiple variables and to understand that you need an engineer, astro-physicist or a can opener.

Seriously, I don’t think we, meaning the collective ‘we’ – indviduals, organization and businesses are looking for unknowns in this solution-puzzle soup.

What WE are doing, I believe, is failing to define problems – while rushing headlong into solution phase which will spend energy, produce reports and actions, will change ways and means – but likely not address the root underlying problem because people aren’t looking for underlying problems.

Case in point:  politics, relationships, business, self. My self. Your self.

What’s the problem?

Solve for X, or ex?

Albert Einstein said he spent most of his time defining the problem – I think he was onto something.


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