Why do policies and systems created by intelligent, well-intentioned people sometimes produce consequences that are worse than the problems they were designed to solve?
That question immediately caught my attention because it points to one of the most difficult realities of complex problem-solving: good intentions do not guarantee good results. A solution may appear logical on paper, yet fail once human behavior, unintended consequences, competing incentives, and changing conditions enter the picture.
You had me at “well-educated and well-intentioned individuals often make terrible mistakes.” For a second, I thought this was going to be autobiographical. However, real-world models are what I want to discuss, and the first example that came to mind was the War on Drugs.
Sounds like a great idea, right? But what is one thing we can all agree on about our species: We will do what we want to do. Free will in its purest form. That’s the beauty of being able to make your own unimpeded decisions. I choose to go this route, or to invest in this opportunity. Countless amounts of money have been thrown at trying to stop illegal drug trades from surfacing, but guess what? Hasn’t worked yet. Nixon thought it was a great line when declaring drug abuse as public enemy #1. And so, our country launched a campaign that removed leading cartel figures who were then replaced with others, and so on, and so on… What’s worse is that many of the products that people nowadays find themselves addicted to is sold legally! I know right!? It’s the proverbial leaking dam and not enough chewed bubblegum to plug the holes (and we all know how that story ends). We put out one fire only to have an ember create another one.
A similar idea that didn’t work out was Prohibition. Again, you will never stop people from doing what they want (or in this instance drinking what they want). Think on the crime and corruption that was documented during the 20’s and early 30’s. Or the amount of backdoor moonshine that was distributed. People didn’t suddenly stop drinking, they merely found an alternative supplier. Same concept in my prior argument. It’s Whack-A-Mole at its finest with the consequences being life or death. Replace one cartel leader and twenty more are ready to vie for the spot.
I don’t have a solution to the problem mind you, I am only pointing out the obvious. It seems we as humans have a fundamental dilemma. An itch that can never be scratched so to speak. We want more (always something more). We fail to appreciate what we have and seek new desires that are sure to fill the void. If we view human existence as a learning system, then the prior examples fall in line with the bad decisions regarding complex practices. A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley touched on this subject albeit in a fictional narrative. If you have not read it, I would recommend checking it out. The government’s intention was to create a society of humans whose loyalty to the state came before all else while also lauding the notion that everyone belonged to everyone else (which also rings of another good intention that sounds great on paper but fails when presented with reality. Can you guess what it is? Starts with an “S” and ends in “ocialism”).
In closing, and more to my point of the human dilemma, we will make mistakes and cause strife for that is in our nature. I would caution a few things to try and make the inevitable a little less frequent: 1) Think before you act, 2) establish your ethical code and/or priorities and follow them religiously, 3) plan for the future, and 4) learn from your mistakes. With a little luck, maybe we can improve our condition and turn this tragedy into a triumph. Steinbeck said it best when he stated, “and now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good” (East of Eden, 1952). And that’s all we need to be. Good.