2026 The Year of the Horse
Pegasus has white wings.
Ariel eyes the cauldron dawn.
Seabiscuit we are homesick.
Hope keeps hanging on.
By a broken fingernail.
By the skin of bridled teeth.
What is it about the horse
That keeps us holding on?
Some say it is the power of
raw muscle wild and true.
Some say mountains of K
could not turn us into glue.
Some say armies and empires
with us easily jump economic hoops.
Some say that The Apocalypse
rides in second at the finish post.
Do we seem flog-tired? Years
of false starts and fence refusals?
Nodding heads, cloudy eyes
from squinting at lines of tiny decimals.
Limp limbs flail purposefully
outside the walls of Troy.
What is it about the horse
that keeps us riding on?
But what kind of a problem is it?
By nature:
∙ Well-defined problems have clear goals, constraints, and solution paths EG maths
∙ Ill-defined problems are ambiguous with unclear goals or multiple possible solutions EG How do we improve education?
By domain:
∙ Technical problems
∙ Social problems (conflict resolution, comms, inequality)
∙ Personal problems (life decisions, relationships)
∙ Business problems (profitability, market competition, efficiency)
∙ Scientific problems (unanswered Qs about how nature works)
By complexity:
∙ Simple problems with straightforward cause-and-effect.
∙ Complicated problems requiring expertise but solvable.
∙ Complex problems where variables interact unpredictably EG ecosystems
∙ Wicked problems that resist clear solutions and may create new problems when addressed EG poverty
By urgency:
∙ Crisis problems requiring immediate action
∙ Chronic problems that persist over time
∙ Preventive problems we anticipate before they occur
Somehow I accidentally subscribed to the whole of MasterClass for a year.
Two years ago I meant to buy just the Annie Leibovitz class for Dad who is a photographer too.
So now we are watching Annie together sharing her wisdom on humans and photography 📸💡💛
She was a huge influence on Dad in the beginning, especially her creative advice to “stay close to home”.
