THE FOLLY OF PROBLEM SOLVING

Hello, my name is Tom. In this short article I want to convince you that a strategy for getting nice surprises is more realistic than a strategy leading to a predictable outcome.

We are already familiar with strategies of predictability and have called them science, technology and logic. These have been used to solve our problems. Each of us has to solve the problems of providing ourselves with food, clothing, shelter, warmth, health and friendship. And then there are the wider problems of balancing the economy, environmental degradation, disposal of waste, helping the poor, fighting diseases and keeping the peace. There is no shortage of problems in this world. Small wonder then that we are trained from an early age in the skills of problem solving. But even if we could solve all our problems, would we then be living in a world we would have chosen had there been no problems to begin with? The answer, surprisingly, is no.

So what is wrong with problem solving using strategies of predictability? Well, firstly, have you noticed how the problem solver does not wind up in an ideal world of his own choosing. Far from it because his solutions to problems often become the new problems. For example: We need food, so we get a meal and our continued existence contributes to the overpopulation of the earth. We need shelter, so we buy a house and then have the problem of maintenance and mortgage repayments. We need to travel, so we buy a car and wind up living in a vast car park with exhaust fumes choking us to death. We need to communicate, so we invent the Internet and now terrorists can learn to make bombs, crooks can steal money without leaving home and children can access pornography. I invite you to spot your own solutions, which are now new problems.

The second problem with problem solving is that the problem solver’s 'life' self-organizes in such a way that, without realizing it, he lives the myth of the Greek hero Hercules. Remember Hercules making a stand against the monstrous Hydra, chopping off its ‘heads’ only to be surprised by more problem ‘heads’ growing at other locations on the body. The actions of Hercules and the problem solver merely generate more problems – somewhere. 'Life' in the round is not enhanced in any way.

Our world divides itself into various ‘levels’. There is a predictable ‘level’ to which the laws of science apply and which we are exploiting to provide all the items of technology. However, there is also an inherently surprising ‘level’ of the world. This encompasses the daily interactions of people and, because this ‘level’ self-organizes in an inherently surprising way, it is magical. The surprising 'level' of reality is also the realm of the problem solver where, unfortunately, his 1st 'level' knowledge is applied causing new problems at every turn. These 'new problems' are everywhere evident and could be said to have culminated in the ultimate 'new problem' which is, of course, Global Warming. The latter overheating effect in the biosphere is a time bomb that is threatening large chunks of the human race. While these parts of humanity are making plans for a warmer, sunnier, more prosperous future, in reality, absolute environmental catastrophe is only a surprise away. The biosphere and indeed the lives of everyone, are intra-sensitive, which means they are capable of flipping from one extreme to another at the drop of a hat. I'm afraid that is the nature of the onesided living trends that are panning out on earth and throughout the universe.

At the risk of sounding like a mad prophet of doom I must, nevertheless, point to the possibility that centuries of common sense, logic and problem solving have lead to the brink of a 'big crunch'. In the light of this possibility, maybe you think that human intuition could save us. Many people sing the praises of intuition but, as far as I can see, it can be a very poor guide indeed. I saw a man recently on the 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' TV quiz show lose £218,000 of his prize money due to faulty intuition. This fellow had to choose between four possible answers to a particular question. The selection of the right answer would have doubled his prize money to a quarter of a million quid. But it became plain to me that the man did not know the correct answer and was therefore in no position to choose correctly. He should have quit right there and then. But he had been 'on a roll' and had guessed correctly on previous questions. His intuition was now making him think that he could gamble his way to profit again. He had the tunnel vision imposed by a living trend and, unbeknown to his ego, false intuition runs down that 'underpass' of the mind. The man succumbed to the temptation, he did gamble and I watched him lose a fortune. Afterwards I wondered what would have happened if the man had suddenly become realistic and thought of his four possible answers as a four barrelled gun containing three live rounds. Would he have gambled, put that gun to his head and pulled the trigger in the conviction he would be discharging the one empty chamber? Maybe not. But mark my words, when you are in the grip of a living trend, do not trust your intuition. This is also the trouble with problem solving. For centuries we have been 'on a roll' with it. The mistake is to assume that this trend will go on indefinitely. Surprises happen!

So problem solving isn't working, intuition isn't working. 'What's left?' you may be wondering. It's a difficult one isn't it? Well, I just think we are in the same position as Dolly Parton when she went on the peanut and mellon diet. For Dolly, the peanuts didn't work, but by golly...............!!! In a similar way, when problem solving and intuition go bust, we will always be uplifted by the Strategy for Getting Nice Surprises. And that, in my view, is what the esoteric strategy is - a couple of enormous juicy mellons in a vast sea of worthless peanuts - in a manner of speaking of course.

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