Why We Need To Stop Looking For Easy Solutions

In life, we often look for band-aid solutions. And what do I mean by this? As people, we’re often taught to look for quick fixes to our problems.

You want to be happy? Easy, go on a vacation. To get a better-paying job? Go to school. You don’t like your workplace? Ditch your company and find another job.

At first, we all thought we were actually solving the problem. However, we didn’t realise that the quick fixes don’t eliminate the problem.

We often spend too much time trying to conform to societal standards and pressures. Sometimes, we forget to consider who we truly are.

Let’s travel back to elementary school. You and your classmates were perhaps all forced to sit in hours of lessons, covering math, science, and literature. And what happened to the kid who often wouldn’t stop talking, or the other kid who kept on interrupting the teacher? They were perhaps called out and reminded to never speak again during a lesson.

However, what if the kids who had difficulty following instructions in a classroom learned better in a different setting?

As our society has developed in the past decades, our social norms have also changed. We went from people who travelled around to find a better place to farm to people who are now sitting in offices, rushing to our jobs. Over time, we focused more on adapting to the social pressures around us.

We’re taught to behave a certain way and perhaps encouraged to disengage with our hobbies. However, sometimes how we’re taught may not be the best for everyone. What if someone is better suited to express themselves verbally? And what if someone needs to express themselves to learn the material?

Unfortunately, we fail to realise this as a society.

We’re too busy trying to create a system, hoping that everyone can follow through. However, these systems aren’t designed for the betterment of everyone: they’re a so-called ‘safety net,’ a path which everyone hopes to take.

However, as times change, people realise that such systems are no longer working. Reports indicate that up to 85% of people dislike their corporate jobs. But many also wonder what the solution is to such a system.

Some workers may respond by taking vacations. Others may take mental health days. Students currently in school may decide to transfer.

Although these solutions are valid, they are temporary. They don’t solve the deeper underlying issues of our current societal norms. Rather than trying to live with such systems, we should find a way around them or create new ones. This way, we don’t only have to look at band-aid solutions. We can perhaps look at the whole picture. And then, we might be more content with who we are.