My view sharing for Creative Problem Solver Group meetup ( link )
After being part of the group, I wish I can contribute what I can.
Any activity starts with brainstorming, analysis and plan for work to be done.
So for that part I like to put few words here.
This is a group of problem solver. Do we want to solve problems of our own or want to address others problem as well?
Problems can be categorized in 3 levels.
1) Very personal problems. i) Neighbour shouts or plays music on loud voice. ii) I may have particular health issue. Iii) Hard water at my home blocks my taps/shower etc. So many people have creative ideas to solve personal problems.
2) Problems covering some local area. i) People throw garbage on roadside or outside my residential society. ii) Cows sitting in the middle of road blocking road/traffic.
3) Problem of whole human society: This 3rd type of problems affect almost each person at certain level. It affects our local or personal well being I mean it creates local or personal problems. Such kind of problems if we solve on that local level will arise again as they are not addressed on wide scale.
Example 1: Problems between 2 communities. Due to beliefs of particular community, you have problem in your area and may be in personal life. You solve it anyhow. But as this community has roots all over the country and world, same problem comes back to you, your area or nearby area, or anywhere else. By solving it locally, you still understand it is not solved at all.
Example 2: You wish to help someone make his living. I mean, to help him to provide means to have commercial activity to meet his personal needs. You did it. But you see that he struggles again. And you are helpless as you can not put your resources or energy for that person each time because he is not just part of that small problem but bigger one, whole economy and competition in economy.
I like to give you one real example. I tried to help a family which had started Tiffin Service. To get them more people buying that service, I made leaflets for them and suggested how they can do it better to have effective service. But they somehow failed so I.
One more example is a person who had started small shop ( galla ) at road side beside footpath. That personal had problem having less stuff to sell in his shop so one of my elder friend tried to help him providing him money ( without any particular condition ), but primarily that shop keeper struggled to have enough customers to meet his daily target and next municipal corporation forced him to remove his shop ( galla ) from that place.
Such problems have influence of big structure of society so often addressing it on personal or local level doesn't make it solved.
For bigger issues to understand it I put here few more examples.
Problem of Solid waste
Problem of tree plantation and preservation
New highway work is under progress from Ahmedabad to Chiloda and now that same National Highway Number 8 is under side expansion towards Himmatnagar-Shamalaji.
To do it trees from both sides of road have been cut down to open the land for road expansion. Almost everybody knows that there were very old Khati Ambali tress close to highway and bavad trees at some distance from road on that highway from A'bd to Chiloda. But doesn't exist anymore. So problem is not just to save trees. Problem is how can we have big highway to accommodate increasing number of vehicles with increased number of people and their updated lifestyle with preserving trees or nature? I doubt the role of Governments to address it.
If you travel from Rajpipla to Dediyapada ( Bharuch - Narmada District ), you see lots of trees on hills. But as you are close to Dediyapada, you see many hills are open. Looking at the area around you can easily judge that there must be trees here earlier but people have cut it down.
We need to analyze situation first and then we can get what real problem is. I use the word multiple dimensional study of situation. Then only we can dive into problem solving. Without it you will think you got solution but it will be temporary.
I would like to ask the group, what are we aim to solve here?
I) Personal problems, II) Problems of local area III) Problems of whole humanity.
1000s of NGOs work nicely on local level. Their intention and work is highly appreciated and have good results as well but in reality, we don't see so big impact. Why?
Again because they work under limitation and restrictions of present Socio-Economic structure. That structure is problem. Are we addressing it?
I put here few documentaries/videos which show some
problems and some solution as well.
There are so many such documentaries/videos to have reality check. Or we can do our own survey.
Being in Vadodara and with my issues to work on I may and may not able to be the part of real discussion and action but I may like to contribute by this.
This is my opinion based on my study of situations. I hope it will be helpful to this group.
Great. Thanks for sharing.
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