Homelessness, Poverty, and the Environment:
A new way to think about ‘solving big problems’
Homelessness, poverty, and the environments are big problems. We’ve had them since the 1970’s. But little has changed since the 70’s. In this article, we’ll expose:
- 5 Important Facts that point to a new way of solving problems
- Why what we have been doing will never be the solution
- The new way to create a world with fewer big problems
Stating the obvious: our big problems are still problems, 50 years later.
In the 1970’s, homelessness was an endemic problem. Today, homelessness is an endemic problem. In the 1970’s, poverty was an endemic problem that our governments promised to eliminate. Today, financial insecurity and poverty is worse than ever. In the 1970’s, environment was a concern, now it is a crisis. The list goes on and the question is why haven’t these problems been solved in spite of best intentions, monies and efforts?
There is an army of well meaning professionals and concerned citizens who have been working to solve these problems. Yet for every success they have, there are more individuals that show up at foodbanks and shelters looking for help. Remember Einstein’s famous saying “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results”.
Five important facts that shape how we solve complex problems
So if we’re still in the same mess we set out to solve in the ‘70s, what is the solution? Before we go there, let’s take a look at five important facts.
FACT 1. For 10,000+ years, our collective wisdom has been that everything is connected to everything and every action affects everything (Indigenous and Eastern Philosophical Thinking) – until 300 years ago
FACT 2. For the last 300 years – science has told us we can seperate and reduce everything down to its simplest parts and understand the whole (Newton) and nature thrives in competition with the fittest rising to the top. (Darwin)
FACT 3. For the last 25 years – a new thinking in science has discovered that everything is connected to everything, the whole is more than the sum of its parts and that nature thrives in co-operation – not competition. (The Indigenous societies were right)
FACT 4. Recently, we have begun to awaken to the idea that all competition is destructive (Think Ukraine war and Amazon) and co-operation is usually more productive. (Businesses now want to create synergistic teams across their silos)
Defining the real problem: how we think about solving complex things is wrong
So let’s define the real problem before we define the solution.
The problem isn’t that we have poverty, homelessness, environmental problems, these are the symptoms of another problem. And unless the real problem changes, nothing else changes
The problem lies in our fundamental stories that shape our thinking, which drives our decisions and actions which creates the problems. For example: “If only we had enough houses, we wouldn’t have homelessness” is the same thinking we had in the 1970’s as we do today – homelessness has not gone away.
Changing our stories changes our thinking, and moves us towards solving big problems
When we change our stories and thinking, our decisions and behavior are different. When we change our thinking, we can solve big problems differently.
This is true whether we have the ability to act in our homes, our neighbourhoods or our workplaces. This is true whether we act in our present experience or whether we have the power to make change in our governments and businesses that affect things on a larger scale. Everything is connected to everything and everything we do affects everything.
So what is the wrong story thinking that is causing the problems? It lies in Facts 2 and 4 above:
FACT 2. For the last 300 years – science has told us everything can be reduced down to its simplest form where it acts independent of its surroundings (Newton) and nature thrives in competition with the fittest rising to the top. (Darwin)
FACT 4. Recently, we have begun to awaken to the idea that all competition is destructive (Think Ukraine war and Amazon) and co-operation is usually more productive. (Businesses now want to create synergistic teams across their silos)
We have built our society, institutions, cultural stories and economy created by business around the ideas that competition is the driver of prosperity and success, that there are unlimited resources available to those few people who can rise to the top and we are independent of everyone and everything else. This is crazy thinking that is validated by Fact 4 – that competition goes against the laws of nature, that nature thrives as well as human systems thrive in an environment of co-operation.
As evidence of this, we have just experienced 80 years of relative peace and prosperity under the guidance of the United Nations which proports co-operation between nations. Also in evidence of this, in the last few years, we have been experiencing greater anxiety for our survival than ever before as wealth flows to the hands of the very few. And now, we have the threat of nuclear war looming once again because of competitive forces both here in western World and in our Eastern cousins.
How to change our thinking
If the problem is our crazy thinking that we are not connected to anything but ourselves and competition is the best solution for everything, then the solution becomes obvious.
We must change our thinking!
Sounds immense, right? But the good news is that leaning on your community is one incredibly effective way to change thinking at scale.
Happy Community Builders ( https://happycommunitybuilders.com ) is a network of people looking to change thinking just like you. People around the world gather on Happy Community Builders to be part the process for enabling us to change our thinking. If you agree and want to be part of this change, and are involved in community building, check us out, or join our newsletter (Contact – Happy Community Project) to get a taste of what this collaborative thinking can do for your community.
Being around others who believe there is greater power in our collective actions than in our individual actions is an important step in resolving the topic of homelessness, poverty and the environment. And other complex problems you face, too.
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