I tend to be a fairly direct person. I try not to shy away from things just
because they might be disagreeable, and if I have a problem that can be
solved, I usually prefer to try to confront it rather than ignore it and hope
it'll go away. I've come to understand, however, that the direct approach
isn't always the best approach to every situation. Sometimes the most obvious
solution isn't the best one.
  An analogy can be made using a simple hypothetical scenario: Imagine you
are standing in front of a locked door which you want to go through; what do
you do? Some people might try to pick the lock. Others might try to kick the
door open, or, failing that, break it down with explosives or a hammer.
However, in reality, the best solution is to knock, and if there is no
response, to walk away, since if the door is locked, you probably don't
belong on the other side anyway. Rather than being an obstacle to be
overcome, the door is actually an opportunity for us to re-evaluate why we
want to get to the other side anyway.
  I've written about this and had this thought before, but in thinking about
it now, it seems more clear than ever that the best way to solve the world's
problems isn't simply to give people their immediate needs. An analogy can be
made with the act of feeding pigeons in the park: In the immediate term, this
seems like an act of kindness, as it converts a group of hungry birds into
fed, contented birds. However, what happens to those pigeons later? In the
long-term, animals which are fed more tend to proliferate more. Feeding a
group of pigeons will create even more pigeons, who will then need to be fed
even more food, or else they will die. Taking care of the immediate problem
only creates a bigger problem later on.
  Unfortunately, in this respect, humans tend to not be much better than
animals. Humans are usually mainly concerned with their immediate needs of
food, sleep, and reproduction. While these things are obviously necessary to
maintain life, they are not the sole reason for existence. Attending to these
basic needs is not going to solve much, because things like hunger and
poverty are only symptoms, not the underlying illness. The real sickness lies
deeper, in culture and society. Attacking the most obvious problem is not
going to make the problem go away. If you want to create lasting, meaningful
change, you need to do more than just feed people; you need to change how
people think.