PEOPLE WANT SOLUTIONS

Recently I was watching a talk show and one of the panelist stated that people are tired of hearing about problems; they want to hear about solutions. I’m sure they were referring to the mountains of political dialog that seems to center around the problems in the US and around the world. Certainly, solutions would be an outstanding contribution to moving our society forward.

Solutions take work and commitment. The “Founding Fathers” spent 4 months in the sweltering heat of a Philadelphia summer to create the Constitution of the United States (and then they were admonished for not creating a “Bill of Rights”). Not only was this effort completed under the stress of heat and debate but also without the interference of the press, lobbyists or the representatives’ families. Only weekends were reserved for families and some recreation; Monday morning everyone was back to work and so it went for 4 months.

The current US Congress will attempt to address a litany of issues while working less than 4 months for the entire year! Imagine if these legislators only worked on one social issue such as healthcare for 4 months. There’s a good chance a solution may be developed. But, when healthcare is one small part of a busy day of scheduled events, it is not likely to get the focus it deserves. It is no wonder that only problems are discussed during campaigning rhetoric.

Side note: For Congress to fix any problem, they will need to deal with a lobbying group. The number of registered lobbyists in Washington doubled from 2000 to 2005. In 2000, there were 16,342 registered lobbyists; by 2005, the number was 32,890. Bring up a topic and two sides are likely to appear.

America has become a society of sound bites and half-hour solutions. Television has created the impression that people can either make snap decisions to solve problems or they are too dumb to figure it out. (A Recent statistic in Time magazine stated that the average American watches 8.2 hours of TV every day!) As a result, people grow bored with problem-solving that may take weeks, months or even years. The prevailing attitude is to throw enough money at the problem and either it gets fixed or it goes away.

People are not widgets. Attitudes, behaviors and change take time, hard work and a developed level of trust. Unlike technology, people are not replaced by using new parts. Most key people are powerful and influential and not likely to surrender their views without proof that a new solution has value.

To create a solution with value takes more resources than currently exists in most venues. The time to dissect a problem to manageable components, create a solution at each level and then stitch the solutions back together for an “ultimate” approach is not possible. There are insufficient human and capital resources to fund such an effort. It will take too long and people will lose interest; waning interest also means waning financing.

As dreadful as this may appear, finding solutions is not a lost art. Most of what we appreciate today in terms of better health, better living and more of everything is a result of decades of solution hunting. By discussing problems in a rational and open way, people start thinking about positive outcomes. Progress has been made.

Hence, our problems, or finding solutions, are two-fold. First, results are not always immediate and people need to exercise patience. (It was once said that patience is the control of passion.) Rarely will we experience a quick and satisfying solution. Action is necessary to provide a direction. Once a direction is forged, it is always necessary to tweak the course to gain the best results.

Second, we need better dialog not just rhetoric. Like most people I am tired of every issue being turned into a new catch phrase like “smear and fear.” Let it go; start discussing issues without a self-serving agenda. “What’s in it for me” is a customer catch phrase not a phrase for decision-makers.

America and most of the world has the resources to take care of its entire people. The problems no one can overcome are greed and laziness.

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