When you see solutions chasing ‘problems’ in the short term, be sure they are chasing the symptoms and not the problem. Problems rarely announce themselves. Symptoms caused by problems announce themselves. In fact they draw attention to themselves and draw attention away from the problem. The problem usually lies far away or in the distant past. The problem is that which causes the symptoms.
When the attention is on the symptom, not the problem, we look for ways to hide the symptom. Hiding a symptom is usually fast. It appears to make things better in the short term.
When we look for quick ways to hide a symptom, we miss the problem, the cause of the symptom. When we miss the problem, the symptoms don’t disappear, they come back.
When we fail to address the problem the symptoms get worse in the short now – the lifetime of a child born today.
Parking Policies
Parking policies, for example, address the symptom of lack of parking space. They focus on the symptom of lack of parking space crying out for urgent attention. They do not recognise the problem lies in promoting sprawling settlements, over decades, that necessitate vehicles in order to reach our destinations. In the short term things seem to get better before they get worse as we fail to reduce our need use vehicles to reach our destinations.
Urban Transportation Policies
They address the symptom of a highly mobile society. It is a response to the symptom of people wanting to commute drawing attention to their plight in commuting. It fails to notice the increasing distance between the goods and services and the people that want to consume them. While these policies appear to make commutes easier in the short term, they make them worse in the short now as we fail to address the increasing distances between the goods and services and the people that want to consume them.
Slum Redevelopment
Similarly, this responds to the symptom of slums. It responds to the dismal living conditions of those in slums. It does not address the displacement of people from their native lands that continue to result in urban slums. These policies appear to improve living conditions in slums before they become worse as more people who continue to be displaced fro their native lands continue to occupy more slums.
Economic policies
In a similar manner, respond to the symptoms of lack of growth. They are a response to the symptoms of difficulty of generating increased revenues that cry for attention. They do not notice that over several decades our actions have driven social and environmental costs to make growth uneconomical. These policies appear to improve growth before economic decline as the mounting social and environmental costs remain unaddressed.
Waste Management policies
They respond to the symptoms of overflowing waste. They miss the increasingly material driven economies we have been designing. In the short term these policies appear to usher cleanliness before the material driven economy makes the ever mounting waste worse than before.
Climate Mitigation policies
These policies respond to the symptoms of carbon fuels in our economy. They want to replace carbon fuels with renewables. They miss our designs of ever increasing energy demand in driving our economy and mobility. Increasing the share of renewables gives us a feel good but our unchecked energy demand continues to worsen our climate.
Like an addict, we respond to the symptoms that call out for our attention to make them disappear. Our solutions to address the symptoms seem to decrease the symptoms in the short term. This, naturally, drives us even more to focus on the symptoms. As we are addicted to addressing the symptoms, we are trapped in our short term solutions. In the short now the symptoms get worse.
Our confusing the symptom for the problem has kept us from addressing our problems. It has helped the short term to swallow the short now – the lifetime of a child born today.
He can be reached @AnupamSaraph
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