There are two ways to approach a complex problem. There is the academic way: Make a list of everything wrong on one side of a large piece of paper. On the other side list all conceivable remedies. Then draw lines between the problems and the possible remedies. This takes some time and produces a muddled diagram that is hard to follow. The more complex the solution appears, the more brilliant the person who proposes it appears.
That is the object of many academic or bureaucratic programs: to make the people look brilliant, but not to solve the problem. If the problem were actually solved, the bureaucrats and academics would have to look for new jobs.
The a second way to approach a problem is to reduce it to its essentials. A single example can be revealing.
A 26-year-old man grabbed a woman’s buttocks on a New York street. Because he was acting strangely, he was taken to Bellevue Hospital for evaluation, then released to police. He was charged with forcible touching, but the judge released him without bail. Both the psychiatrists and the judge fumbled the ball.
A month later, he broke into an apartment, terrified the female occupant, stole money, and left after 15 minutes. Police arrived after 30 minutes. This illustrates the old saying that it takes only seconds to phone the police, but waiting for them to arrive can take the rest of your life.
About 90 minutes later, he grabbed a cell phone from a woman on the street and took off running. He ran into a 58-year-old Filipino-American oncology nurse from New Jersey. She fell, striking her head on the concrete sidewalk, and later died. Her name was Maria Ambrocio. “She was a wonderful nurse, a wonderful colleague, and a wonderful friend. She was a churchgoer. She loved God.”
The assailant, whose name I do not mention, is said to suffer from bipolar disorder. He is charged with murder, but the charge will probably be reduced to manslaughter or even assault. He will be found unable to stand trial, sent to Bellevue again, released again, assault and perhaps kill someone again – until somebody shoots him. But because of New York City’s draconian gun laws, only criminals are likely to be armed. The only hope is that he will assault the mother, sister, or girlfriend of a gang member.
We used to have a justice system. Now we have a legal system. Jails used to have barred doors. Now they have revolving doors. The government used to protect the law abiding from criminals, or at least try to. Now it protects the criminals from the law abiding. Kids used to grow up as proud Americans. Now they grow up trying to “find themselves.” Parents used to drag kids to church. Now they let kids spend the day on video games – it keeps them occupied.
You want an analysis of a complex problem? Find an instructive example. The Bible calls them parables.