I had this thought today that most of the problems that designers, including myself, attempt to solve are infinitesimal compared to the real challenges that need to be acknowledged. In my case, I'm trying to find a way to get people to contemplate mortality (for a class project). Then, I talked to Cole Imperi, a thanatologist (expert on death and dying), and she flipped my perspective. They said that the actual challenge is to encourage people to be present and find meaning in connection with others (in particular, older people). Furthermore, two podcasts that I listened to today talked about the human need for connection an epidemic of loneliness. Living lonely is no way to live. Studies show that it can shorten your lifespan, and it may be worst than smoking. Therefore, confronting loneliness, in a way, causes one to contemplate their mortality and live better lives.

Cole gave me a metaphor to help me understand. It's like someone who goes to the doctor for a cut. If they go to an ER, they'll likely get cleaned up and bandaged, without much questioning. However, if they go to a family doctor, in addition to the cleanup and bandages, there will be questions. How did you get cut, and how can we prevent this from happening again?

It's easy as designers, again myself included, to attack problems. Sometimes that's necessary (for emergency response units). Often, though, it's better to step back and discern if we're addressing a problem or the symptoms of a problem. The cut, while it needs attention, is not as big of a predicament as the cause of the injury. The question we must ask then is, am I fixated on symptoms or the causal problem?