Self Reliance Principle #7: Problem Solving

Sometimes the problem in fixing something is understanding exactly what the problem is. Consider the following video as these friends try to run a fruit business:



Yes. It's easy to recognize when something is broken. The friends in the video above came to realize they weren't making any money. As observers, we can easily see what the problem is. They're selling the melons at the same exact price they're buying it, which doesn't make any money.

When we know the true issue, we can come up with solutions. They could sell the melons at a higher price, or they could buy the melons at a lower price. Either way, they would get a profit.

We can also see that the one friend's suggestion of getting a larger truck won't help one bit.

But then again -- think about this. It could have the illusion of helping. If they switched to a larger truck, it might be more expensive, but it would also be fewer trips, thus possibly lowering overall costs. It could sound good on paper, but still not fix the underlying problem of making negative profits.

I see this a lot at work, in politics, and even at church. People see some problem and come up with solutions that address some of the issues, while leaving the main problem unsolved. Several times, I've seen millions or billions of dollars spent on a project that solves only a portion of the problem, when a much cheaper solution could have more easily solved the entire thing.

But then again, in this complex world, it can be very difficult to determine causes of issues.

Think of one of those doctor shows where a patient comes in with an unknown sickness. First, the doctors have to run tests, just to see what the problem is. Often, this involves a little guesswork, inspiration, and analysis of test results. Then the doctors are able to form a diagnosis, meaning "We finally know what the problem is." And then they begin treatment. Usually in these shows, the treatment is shown only in the last minute or two, as most of the fun is in locating the problem.

On a personal level, we all have issues that need addressing. And again, this same concept applies. We must first determine the cause before we fix it. Sometimes it's something simple, like small-scale problems that pop up every day. Or it could also apply to a larger project we might be working on.

The LDS Self Reliance module teaches the following three-step process that we can all use to solve all kinds of problems.

#1) Stop and take the time to IDENTIFY the real problem. Sometimes just stopping to think is all that is needed, but more often than not, we might not get it right on the first try. If you suspect more than one possible problem, you can start by picking the one that looks to be the most probable.

#2) STUDY OPTIONS for solving the problem that you've identified. Brainstorm. Realize that it may or may not work, but trying something is better than leaving the problem unresolved.

#3) DECIDE AND ACT. Pray about it. Pick a solution, and implement. If it works, then you're done. Else you can go back to #1 or #2 and try again.

We all have the capability to think and act. We will most likely make mistakes along the way, but following this system of problem solving, we can learn to more effective identify and solve our problems, and live happier lives.

Judge Not

As part of my "Why People Leave Church" series, today I'd like to explore a recent trend plaguing the nation, brainstorm how we can combat it, and finally relate it to church attendance.

First off, I'll start with three recent news events. While you read, take note of your reactions.

#1) Papa John's former CEO and founder, John Schnatter, admitted to using the N‑word in a professional setting -- a conference call with an ad agency. Story here. Since then, Schnatter has been forced to resign and his image has been removed from all marketing materials.

#2) Adam Bloom, some random HOA board member, singled out a black woman at his neighborhood pool and asked her to show her ID. When she refused, he called the cops and things didn't go too well for him. A copy of the raw footage here. Since then, Bloom has resigned from the HOA and has also lost his day job.

#3) Roseanne Barr posted several racist tweets. ABC promptly fired her and removed her show "Roseanne" from its airwaves and websites.

I'll admit that my first gut reaction is to say something along the lines of: "That's terrible and racist. These people deserve whatever's coming to them." But then as I learned more, I was surprised to find that there is more to each of these stories. Let's take a quick closer look.

#1) It later came to light that John Schnatter, in that meeting, was actually speaking out against racism and the inappropriateness of using the N-word. When the ad agency suggested hiring Kanye West to represent the company, Schnatter answered no, because Kanye uses the N-word in his music. He then later proceeded to quote Colonel Sanders directly, but then said he could never be like Sanders. You can read John's side of the story at the bottom of this linked article.

#2) The Adam Bloom story happened in my city, so I'm privy to some information that may or may not have reached the national news. Bloom's lawyer has made a statement here. I strongly recommend reading it. It turns out that Bloom is an all-opportunity jerk, having thrown out several non-residents (some of whom were white) from the pool over the past several years, all in the name of doing his job. He has also thrown out actual residents who then came back with their ID (or their mother) to get back in. From the evidence it's clear that Ms. Edwards contributed her fair share into the confusion and in helping this story to become national news.

#3) I picked the Roseanne Barr story because there really isn't any defending her. Though, it seems difficult to find the actual tweets, so it's difficult to judge fully. But I do know this: she has been more than apologetic since then. We all make mistakes ... especially comedians who are almost expected to say things on the edge.

I don't think she deserved the punishment she received. Cancelling and removing her show is overkill and punishes a lot of other people. It has all the visage of righteousness, even coming with some statement about Barr's tweets going against company values, but it also comes with a healthy dose of hypocrisy in that several ABC shows aren't exactly exhibiting good values, often relying themselves on slightly offensive jokes. It also takes us one step closer to Fahrenheit 451.

And the worst part: it demonstrates non-forgiveness. Hold on to this thought as I move back to the other two stories.

Adam Bloom, the pool guy: did you know that he and his family had to be relocated to an undisclosed location for their own protection from death threats?

John Schnatter: there's every indication that he was standing up against racism, and yet he's being ousted from the company he started.

What bothers me is that the general public is more than ready to throw stones at these people. It's almost as if we all have this innate desire to prove that we aren't racist, so as soon as we see anything that looks even remotely like racism, we'll jump on it, condemn it, and yell at the top of our voices. Some of us will call for being fired, or evidently, even blood.

But then when more details become available, the general public no longer wants to hear anything. "You're a racist, so we're not going to believe anything that comes out of your mouth. Who cares what the context was in John Schnatter's utterance? Who cares that Adam Bloom used to kick out white men non-residents from his pool? Who cares that any of these people are apologetic and want to make things right?"

This all shows that we have become the Judging and Unforgiving States of America, and this is not a good development. This is not righteous judgment, but rather unrighteous and hypocritical judgment.

And if this continues, there can be only one outcome: you will be next. You're going to wake up one day, and it's going to be another boring morning, and you're going to have no idea what's going to hit you later on that day. You'll be at work, and you'll make this big mistake -- whether intentional, or nonintentional -- or perhaps someone will frame you -- and then someone will take out their phone, video the event, and everything will be presented out of context on YouTube. Then it'll be your turn to have your life ruined, and nobody will listen to your side of the story.

Then perhaps at that time you'll understand what our country has become.

Quick note: for brevity, I've restricted the discussion to racism, but this problem is more wide-spread than just racism -- it also includes just about anything that offends anyone.

If anyone has watched the TV show The Orville, you may have seen episode #7, "Majority Rule," one of the better episodes of the first season. If you happen to have Hulu, I highly recommend watching that one episode, as it satires the very issue that I'm talking about right now. (Note: this is a standalone episode that you can watch and enjoy without having to watch other episodes.)

In this episode, the crew visits a planet where everything is determined by up/down votes. If you get too many down votes, you could receive dangerous brainwashing treatments. When a crew member (John) messes around, the surrounding inhabitants are offended. They pull out their phones and the crew member immediately gets into trouble.

Here's a clip ...



After the apology tour goes humorously awry, the only way his friends can save him is to basically upload fake videos of him being a nice human. It's very clever satire of a very serious situation in our nation.

What can we do about this trend? From a big-picture view, I don't know what can be done. There are just too many participants. Perhaps it's too late to avoid Fahrenheit 451. You could always remove yourself as a participant and hope others follow suit. You could learn to use reason to judge rather than the initial emotional gut-feeling. You could also stand up and be an advocate for considering the other side of the story.

And finally, there is definitely something you can do on the local level, and this is where church attendance comes in to play.

None of us is perfect. And none of us is the same as others are, though it seems we'd like it to be that way. I like to watch who approaches whom when a new person comes to church. A clean-cut person is more likely to be welcomed than a person who smells like smoke, or someone who comes in wearing holey jeans.

It's just so easy to judge a person in only five seconds of sizing-up, but there's no way anyone (Monk included) could know a person that fast. And if a person feels they're not welcome, they're not going to come back to church.

Smelling like smoke could trigger the thought: "This person will never fit in our church. He'll probably ask us for money all the time." The holey jean person may trigger: "This guy isn't serious about church. Maybe he shouldn't come."

But then again, perhaps these people need to come to church, and pushing them away would be the last thing to do.

Also, I've seen the damage that the rumor mills can cause. I've seen good people fall away because of things that have been said. Often, it's much easier to believe the "juicy" details than it is to try to get the full story.

I don't know how many times I've been told, "Stay away from <blah> because he's done <blah blah blah>." I usually end up ignoring that advice and talking to <blah> anyway. I try to make friends with everyone, and I try not to be judgmental, and I've yet to have it blow up in my face.

I'd like to think that my small actions might have helped some people come back to church, and that possibly my being friendly to visitors helped as well.

So, there you go. While we continue trying to live in the uprising Judging and Unforgiving States of America, perhaps we can all remember what we need to combat, how we can do our part, and what we can do on a local level -- even in our church congregations. We can all become better and less hypocritical people, while at the same time helping to bring more people back to church.