I thank God for all the great finance professionals -- like you, Susan! -- that patiently explained how the numbers worked. That 10 Year Plan was a great project.
I’m so glad you’ve joined us on this journey, Deborah! Thanks for the insights. You’re right, prevention should be the primary goal of so much of what we do. And it was my former boss who often used the phrase “When the ship hits the sand.” He served in the Navy, so I’m guessing that’s where it comes from.
I want to offer some thoughts on the thing to do (in life)
when the ship hits the sand.
(Love that phrase! Never heard it before.)
Being a psychologist, I think in terms of diagnosis.
The system I use, put forward by Gough, has three levels:
Level One: Symptom(s)
Level Two: Pathology
Level Three: Etiology
I agree with you that the first thing we need to ask ourselves is:
"What's the problem?"
Not the surface problem, but the root problem!
The surface problem is the symptom(s).
The root problem is the pathology.
Once we know both of these,
it may be possible to bring about a cure.
If we deal with the problem, it fades or goes away.
However, unless we take the diagnosis
to Level Three: Etiology (what is the CAUSE of the pathology?)
we cannot PREVENT the problem from occurring, nor from recurring.
So, how do we work at the level of prevention?
The kind of deep and respectful listening you describe--
going among and listening to those
among whom the deeper problem initially manifested--
will provide us with the clues we need
to figure out why the problem (anger, distrust, rebellion, etc.)
developed in the first place.
Listening--built into the system, as you so powerfully recommend here--is the key.
But the listeners we choose must be able to analyze what they hear,
and capable of picking up the causal clues
in the words and emotions being offered and entrusted to them.
Understanding the cause will allow many levels of prevention
to be created and initiated.
And prevention is the most cost effective (and suffering-saving) strategy known to man :)
We don't want the ship to hit the sand!
If it's heading in that direction
we want to know
so we can take action in time
and encourage it back onto a good path.
I am grateful, Will, that through your insightful writing
I am being introduced to how good government works,
and how it finds constructive paths forward!
I did not know how rich the individual and city-wide stories are!
I will learn from these stories and think deeply about their meaning.
Deborah
I never stop learning from you! The best stories are the true ones!
I thank God for all the great finance professionals -- like you, Susan! -- that patiently explained how the numbers worked. That 10 Year Plan was a great project.
I’m so glad you’ve joined us on this journey, Deborah! Thanks for the insights. You’re right, prevention should be the primary goal of so much of what we do. And it was my former boss who often used the phrase “When the ship hits the sand.” He served in the Navy, so I’m guessing that’s where it comes from.