Short Answer to ‘Why Things Are?’

Events of the past year, reaching a crescendo in the Paris dystopia.  Media addicts on both the supply and demand sides reached their usual exaggerative peaks.  I have not been shocked or surprised.  Why?

Two fundamental elements have changed in the 21^st century, pushed by technological change and the cumulative effect of repeated short-termism – the structure of societies, and the symmetry of solutions.

Experts, researchers, and reporters accustomed to measuring year to year phenomena from economics to behavior are using old models of how cultures, countries, and groups are constructed.  There have been so many significant structural changes (all anecdotal, but piling up) that the family is not the same family, the society is not the old structure, and groups previously identified have reformed or split. Thus, the data and statistics are not incorrect; they are merely measuring and analyzing the wrong things.  The broad measures no longer suffice, since every part of our world is now an assemblage of many smaller parts, all difficult to deal with as a block. All the experts are not wrong; they are just off the mark.  Structural change explains why.

We love reliable structures.  For work, or opinion, or convenience we relax in the knowledge that people and places and things fits nicely into broad catagories.  They no longer fit, and we are no longer comfortable.

We also love linear explanations and solutions.  Cause and effect is probably taught in formative years all around the world. Explanations appear inadequate and the solutions attempted fail to fully achieve objectives – because few things are linear anymore. You cannot have a ‘war’ on anything from drugs to terrorists because the problems are asymmetric and the attacks are linear. (Think whack a mole)

Each month the experts appear increasingly foolish and the problems more intractable.   I am a bit relaxed about how all our leaders and/or heroes appear foolish.  I am more concerned that the proper (asymmetric) solutions fly in the face of our core beliefs….like our constitution.