Many years ago, someone I knew changed lanes on the highway when the traffic ahead slowed suddenly. He then ran into the back of a car in the other lane. When he recounted the incident to me, he said it was not his fault. He became angry with me when I pointed out that he … Continue reading There is No Blame

The country we call Iran has presented one big problem for the U.S. for nearly 5 decades. One president after another has proposed or implemented solutions to what they define as “the problem.” They usually focus on preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. But, does the possession of nuclear weapons represent the entirety of the … Continue reading Dividing an Elephant

Try to explain to a five-year-old that he cannot have a pretty cake and eat it at the same time too. Or, explain to the increasing number of socialists that they cannot have all the “free stuff” before they make their own contribution to that stuff. You can have your cake “You can have your … Continue reading Have Your Cake

Research has shown that most fortunes begin with small regular saving. It seems like a small thing, but do a little math, and you will see. Remember, saving is easy. It happens automatically when you spend less. If you earn $30,00 and you spend $28,000, you have saved $2,000 without any effort. Small Changes Small … Continue reading Small Systemic Changes

Introduction The police chief called a gathering of members of the police force to make an important announcement. It took a while for the entire force, including office staff, to congregate in the conference room. The chief felt that this announcement was so important that he had the 911 operators redirect their calls to an … Continue reading Cause and Effect

Introduction A racecar driver desperately wants to win this race. He has his foot near, but not yet on, the floor, but his car is only going as fast as his nearest competition. Although his tachometer is right on the redline, the driver thinks that if he pushes the car just a little more, he … Continue reading Faster is Slower

Introduction When learning about systems, one should never forget that a person always represents an element of a system. To point out a universal example, remember that the universe (pun intended) consists of a system from which we can never escape. Don’t worry, however, although the small structural changes we make will not affect the … Continue reading Cure Worse Than Disease

Introduction We humans, suffer the same weaknesses as other creatures: we have a strong will to survive. We really don’t have a high capacity for creativity. If we find a way out of one problem, we tend to try the same solution when we encounter a problem that looks similar to one that we encountered … Continue reading The Easy Way Out

Introduction Have you ever heard of someone coming down with a severe headache, taking a large dose of headache medicine, and feeling just fine in a couple of hours? The next day, the same thing occurs. The person checks into the hospital several weeks later to find out they have brain cancer. Four days later, … Continue reading Systemic Behavior Grows Better

Introduction While in college, I had an American history professor who said that when a bully pushed a kid into a corner and kept pushing him, the kid would eventually push back (he phrased it a bit more crudely, but adults might read this article). You might have guessed that he told this story to … Continue reading The System Pushes Back