Here’s the problem. For so many values of [something].

1. Everyone agrees that [something] is a problem.
2. Everyone agrees that something needs to be done to fix it.
3. Everyone agrees that nothing “important” should be changed.
4. Everything is important to someone.
5. [Something] continues forever.

Often there’s a side loop where we try [a solution], but it doesn’t work immediately or it temporarily damages [something else], so people shoot it down.

But instead of proposing [alternative solutions], we talk about how badly awry [a solution] went that time when we tried it—remember that? it was bad.—and get so derailed that we never discuss [other solutions], leading inexorably toward step 5.