Worzel's World- The problem with problems

It was a comment of a type all too common lately. Some police spokesman or other said in relation to drink driving that ‘What we have is a social problem with alcohol that is being detected on the roads.’ It is a fair comment I suppose but alcohol is not to blame. I enjoy a beer now and then and do not believe I have a social problem. I accept that those who misuse alcohol and those who are addicted to it have a problem. As for the rest of us, we do not.

There are many social problems that bedevil people. There are social problems with gambling that are detected at the bank. Overeating and excess stress are social problems detected by doctors. There are social problems caused by peoples’ inability to communicate, interact, understand, forgive and care for each other. These can be detected in overflowing prisons, increased crime, war, insurgency, rebellion, oppression, repression and general nastiness. There is a major social problem of despair, especially amongst a cynical youth. This can be detected in the over 500 New Zealand suicides per year, one of the highest per capita rates in the world – 534 last year.

There are, have been and always will be problems. Problems are the sift that sorts us. They are necessary, without them life has no tools with which to test our mettle. Like all problems – from those in quantum mechanics to those in international relations – they may present difficulties but they also represent challenge and opportunity. Those capable of rising to the challenges these problems present will succeed in overcoming them and be better off for the exercise. It is up to the individual. 

In the same way that a maths problem can be solved by education, consideration and finally application, so too can individuals rise above social problems. Those who do not possess a solid grounding in algebra and calculus will be unable to solve a quadratic equation. Likewise social problems cannot be solved by a once-over-lightly approach. People are a great deal more complex than quadratic equations and their problems cannot simply be penalised or coerced out of existence. 

With study and understanding any problem can be overcome but the more difficult the problem, the greater the time and effort required to master it. Solutions are never easy and often spawn more problems. It is an accepted scientific paradigm that every answer produces at least two new question; they are however a higher order of question. For those who enjoy a challenge there will always be problems to solve and our enjoyment will know no end. Those who refuse to rise to the challenge have only the frustration of defeat, failure and unsolved problems to look forward to. Without knowledge of the truth about something be it a machine or a mathematical equation, people, politics, or pigs there can be no understanding; without understanding there is no possibility of a solution.

I knew a woman once whose problem-solving priorities were similar to those of many of our politicians and public servants, that is: all mixed up. A salesman’s dream, she owned a flash telly and a stereo capable of turning ear drums inside out. She did not own a house to keep them in. Instead she paid a big rent for a small flat. The flat had a well-appointed kitchen with ample storage space, stove, microwave and fridge freezer. The cupboards were empty, the fridge held three cans of energy drink and a six pack of Bourbon and Cola. The freezer held only ice cubes. I tried, as tactfully as I am able (which is not very) to suggest that her priorities could use some adjustment. Her response was ‘It’s alright, I know what I’m doing’ which, strangely enough is also very similar to the response we receive from politicians. She has since relocated to Australia due to looming difficulties with the IRD. It is not true that there is no problem too big or too complex that it cannot be run away from.

As a nation and as individuals we make mistakes from time to time. There are and always will be problems. They will not go away by hiding from them or by ‘being positive’ and pretending they do not exist. The only profitable course is to honestly address them and rise to the challenge.

prof_worzel@hotmail.com