Systemic and existential problems dance their way through three circles:

If it’s not solvable, we’ll pretend it’s not a problem.

If the cultural cost of solving the problem is too high, we’ll pretend there’s no solution.

People don’t spend a lot of time planning for death because there’s no solution to it and the social costs of bringing it up are scary. It’s easier to not talk about it.

On the other hand, while it took a few generations, we figured out how create cultural norms around things like smoking in public.

Systemic problems require systemic solutions, and those solutions hinge on culture.

February 17, 2024