Scarcity and Ingenuity
When there exists something needed and it is not present, what choices are there? The choices embody the person’s choosing and the environment that they find themselves in. Need is determined by an absence of an object, resource, or condition. Establishing need only mandates that no other object or condition exists to meet and satisfy the current conditions. Need surpasses desire. It is not something that you want, it is something more. Need is often conditional to the experience of the individual. They have come to believe that they need something specific and no other thing that will satisfy the present condition. The precept is that they know of no other thing that will satisfy their demands and therefore they need a something. What happends when what you perceive is not present? Your choice is to rely on ingenuity.
Ingenuity is often about changing your perception. The answer and solutions are there in front of you, just beyond your everyday perception. In design, we seek solutions that are just beyond our vision. This is akin to the “Kobayashi Maru” scenario (Star Trek reference) given to cadets. The test is primarily to gage a person’s response to conditions that provide for no direct solution based on our training and experience. When conditions exist that provide for no options, then there is need and it is a powerful motivator and a powerful restraint on our minds as well. When we need, we become fearful, desperate, anxious, and overly focused on the challenges that face us. It is the perception of scarcity and the further potential for loss that keeps us from finding alternatives. Change ‘need’ to ‘want’ through ingenuity. When there is something wanted, it is often easier to supply a variety of options that will satisfy some or most of our requirements. Scarcity of a need then becomes an abundance of alternatives.
Scarcity is a mindset. People who have resources (money, time, labor) at their disposal see their activities and options entirely different than people who lack resources. It is not because they have resources that sets their mindset, it is their mindset from the beginning that provides them the required resources. They have wants that are identified often as goals, plans, or dreams. They are focused today to move forward to tomorrow. They see past present needs that block their progress and reframe their vision to find the options that encompass their future wants. If water is your immediate need, and you’d have recognized this previously and would therefore plan for it by putting some aside or by drilling a well previously. Ingenuity involves planning and investment. You would invest in yourself through education, and would find stategies and methods to solve future challenges.
Have we failed to teach and embody these principles? I believe that asking individuals to rely entirely on the group provides for inherit weaknesses in the robust nature of groups. If the group begins from the same point, receives the same education and experiences, then where is the investment that provides for ingenuity? Groups are robust because of the varied experiences and education of its members. When scarcity strikes a group, it is because of a lack of vision and planning. The dynamic of groups who face challenges often degrades to a point where a few individuals decide and act for the group. Again this degrades the robustness of the group. While group dynamics offers many benefits, they are not suited to scarcity or ingenuity.
Scarce resources provide individuals and groups an opportunity to reframe their perception from a need to a want. This is not about having less or living with fewer comforts. This is about living and not being carried by a group without contributing. Being adrift on a great ocean is not living nor choosing. It is also important to make the decision. Someone else’s need is not necessarily the best for you. I won’t argue that certain aspects of living are not the same for all people. Beyond survival, there is civilization and culture, society and law. At the core of it is the individual choice and ingenuity. What else provides for greatness and quantum leaps forward except for scarcity and ingenuity?
