Why Would Anyone Pitch a Kid into a River?

Hard to say, but should the solution be a BandAid or a long-term plan?

author’s image Weeki Wachee, Florida

Every human being must learn problem solving. We need those skills from the time we begin exploring our world as babies and try to figure out how to grab grandma’s shiny glasses from her face. We’ll get to pitching kids in the river momentarily.

As we mature, our challenges get more complicated with more impact on our survival. Nevertheless, the same skills come into play: questioning assumptions, analyzing what’s happening now, deciding what to change, and figuring out how to get around obstacles.

As an annoyingly inquisitive child, I learned that any problem is easier to solve with these simple steps:

• Define the problem

• Identify solutions

• Test the solutions

• Select the best or most appropriate solution

• Apply the solution

We have to learn that immediate solutions might be best under pressure, but establishing long-term goals and solutions is usually a better plan. The key to a satisfying life is figuring out which approach is needed. Now I’ll tell you the story of the kids and the river.

A floatable parable

Long ago, in a galaxy far away, life was busy in a village on the edge of a river. Everyone had their tasks and priorities, but they understood their connections to each other and the world.

One day, as Al Tru took a break from his work, he saw a baby floating down the river toward him. Holy cow, he thought. What’s up here?

Hearing crying in the distance, he saw that two more babies had floated past, and two more were coming from upstream.

“You guys!” he yelled. “I need a hand here!” He began jogging up and down the river bank, pulling kids out of the water. Others joined him, and pretty soon they had rescued quite a stack of infants.

But the babies kept coming, and the people kept rescuing. For hours the good people gave their complete attention and all their energy to the problem. Days went by; they coordinated their efforts, some specializing in being lookouts, some gathered rescue nets, some installed ropes across the river to reach babies faster.

Soon, it was a 24-hour-a-day job with teams working in shifts. Every baby was rescued in the unending flow of kids. One team attended to managing beds, housing, and food for the babies. The people tried not to worry about all the daily tasks they had abandoned.

On a sunny afternoon, Thynk Byg stood a few steps away from the action and watched. He didn’t get involved, and a few people frowned at him, gestured to him, and then turned away in disgust when he didn’t lend a hand.

“Hey, you, get in here and help. What’s wrong with you? These kids need everyone’s help,” Al Tru said.

Thynk Byg shook his head and turned to leave.

“Stop!” yelled a few people. “Where are you going?”

The reply came clearly. “I’m going upstream to find out why so many babies are falling into the river.”

When it is obvious that goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps. — Confucius (I’ve always wanted to quote him.)

Seeing the big picture

We have to figure out the basis of any problem or challenge and what needs to be determined. Personally, I like to first identify and adjust the root of a problem. If I dive right into the middle and frantically attempt to fix something, I end up exhausted and even irritated — repeating an ineffective action many times.

I’m by nature, a save-the-babies kind of person who gravitates toward the immediate downstream perspective. But I recognize that such impulsive solutions are often short-term. I admire my husband, an engineer committed to walking upstream so he can implement an answer for the long term and make sure no more babies get tossed into the river.

Both methods work in various situations, and in an effective and successful society, we need people who excel at fixing leaks and those who can mop up water. It’s a real treat to find people who can do both.

In life as in the river

No one knows who wrote the original baby parable. Some say Desmond Tutu did, and indeed, he talked about it. Others say Saul Alinsky, a political activist, or Irving Zola, a medical sociologist, shared the story. The parable received a lot of attention when sociologist John McKinlay included it in an article.

McKinlay said the parable helped him understand that downstream behaviors represent short-term solutions that might be well-meaning but futile. Shifting our thinking, goals, and overall approach can be better sustained.

Maybe humans are beginning to realize that while we must save the babies from drowning in the short term, we must also consider long-term changes that prevent kids from being hurled into the water. Those ideas can suit our everyday lives as well as fitting well into how we run our societies.

Martin Luther King was convinced that our survival depends on everyone working towards a fair and equal future in which each of us can play a uniquely productive role. He called this the “network of mutuality.”

And that’s where Michelle Obama’s philosophy and leadership expert John C. Maxwell’s High Road principles come in. You’ve heard Michelle Obama say, “When they go low, we go high.”

Maxwell’s principles show us we can save the babies and fix the source problem by respecting all people, acting for the right reasons, being accountable, being honest and frank, advocating for underdogs, and being willing to proactively give the world the best we have.

And the practical use…

When I use my aforementioned problem-solving steps, I almost always figure out a practical direction. I learn something I can share with others. And I value people willing to share their knowledge and experience with me so I can grow and thrive, too.

Looking at the current situations in our world, I can’t help but notice a trend. The toxic energy we’ve grown used to — political violence, name-calling, and gaping divisions between our ideologies — is fueling some honest grass roots problem solving.

More people from divergent groups are starting to exchange ideas and listen to each other. We are learning to support a positive alternative to the hostilities, joining together to implement a solution that will rescue babies from drowning in terribly dirty waters and also forge new, sustainable ways to secure our future. May we be well.

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