Problems and Solutions

Problems complicate everything. They interfere with how we want our daily lives to play out, put non-stop pressure on governments to take effective actions, and make our world more chaotic. The opportunity to live in a world without problems would probably not be turned down by anyone, but unfortunately such an opportunity is unrealistic. While we would be delighted to be worry-free and watch all our plans work effectively with one another, our world brings us to our senses and proves it is not an easy task. Today more than ever, it is full of problems and the best way to approach them is to acknowledge they exist, make an effective plan to solve them, put that plan into action, and if necessary go back to the drawing board to produce effective results.

As James Martin mentions in his book, “The Meaning of the 21^st Century,” “good news will be accompanied by serious bad news” (273). The human race may be creating new and better ways to sustain itself through new technological methods, but doing so is only creating a bigger problem that is not being effectively tackled. Not only are our natural resources being depleted, they are not being replenished at the same rate they disappear. And while it’s undeniable that worldwide efforts are being made to bring our planet back to health, the lack of education and willpower from ordinary citizens around the world prevents this problem from being effectively solved. For example, Southwestern University has a good recycling program in place. We have designated areas for recycling, different bins assigned for what can be recycled, and our individual bins in our dorms. The system is successfully broken down so that every individual at Southwestern may view recycling as an easy, manageable task. However, I have many times witnessed people throw recyclable materials in the trash rather than in a blue bin. Technology has made it easy to obtain and enjoy a soda bottle, but if by using such technology people don’t realize the harm they are slowly creating on the planet by not recycling the bottle, technology goes beyond its purpose and starts creating more problems without effective solutions. We can do our part to help the planet by changing small habits but if people don’t realize their importance for the future “all delays in implementing solutions make the situation worse” (274).

Problems that try to be solved until they are unmanageable often require more time and resources. Identifying problems as soon as they become a problem prevent time and money to be spent on impulsive proposals that lead to unsuccessful results and more problems. The extension on these response papers accurately depicts this situation. Realizing it would be difficult to meet the deadline for the response paper, not only was more time spent on arranging such extension, but also many of us had to take time out of our Monday schedules to finalize our assignment when we could have finished it over the weekend and used that time for other activities. Waiting until the last minute to resolve to complete this assignment might even to poor writing and ultimately an unsatisfactory grade.

Despite these problems we have to acknowledge that with the right attitude, willpower, and cooperation, worldwide problems in the environment, education, and resources can be resolved to achieve desirable results. It is essential not only for our future wellbeing but for the wellbeing of future generations as well.