“Exaggerating risks leads to overreaction, even as other threats are minimized or missed, and longstanding problems festers that exacerbate the challenges prompting overreaction in the first place.”
A muscle we need to strengthen in the West is a regular referral to some set of rational ranking of problems so that we can maintain some focus even as the waves of electoral politics churn. How many people does this affect? How severely? Are we talking about deaths, illness, money or happiness? Is this a core problem ie how many other problems are downstream of it? (inadequate and unaffordable housing for example could be a good candidate for a core problem). Have we identified and prioritized the low hanging fruit of positive sum solutions? And are there certain problems that are so beneath us as a society that their elimination is a priority regardless?
“Exaggerating risks leads to overreaction, even as other threats are minimized or missed, and longstanding problems festers that exacerbate the challenges prompting overreaction in the first place.”
A muscle we need to strengthen in the West is a regular referral to some set of rational ranking of problems so that we can maintain some focus even as the waves of electoral politics churn. How many people does this affect? How severely? Are we talking about deaths, illness, money or happiness? Is this a core problem ie how many other problems are downstream of it? (inadequate and unaffordable housing for example could be a good candidate for a core problem). Have we identified and prioritized the low hanging fruit of positive sum solutions? And are there certain problems that are so beneath us as a society that their elimination is a priority regardless?