Wish I'd gotten to write my thesis...
"The optimal state of an entity is that in which there is one major conflict or few minor ones..." would have been the underlying theme behind my political science master's thesis.
Unfortunately, it never got written.
It's amazing to me that sometimes the tasks which may have the most impact on people never seem to make it into the box marked "important: please read" in our lives. Ah well, live and learn I suppose.
The basic principle that the thesis rests on is that the optimal state of a national government rests in conflict with another major source (resource issues, international politics, war, etc) or several minor sources. It is in these circumstances that government is most efficient because there is a sense of urgency in both the government officials and the constituency. Too much conflict, however, breeds inefficiency through resource allocation conflicts, split attention spans, or decisional impotence based off of an over-stressed system. There is a delicate balance that must be reached for optimal efficiency to take place.
It's basic psychology that points out that an entity always focused on its exterior may neglect its interior until the point of extreme stress. Enter the government. So long as people are focused on exterior problems, they do not turn their attention to social, economic, or other national issues enough to make a difference. In the case of war, citizens feel often compelled to suppress complaints about these things for the "greater good" that solidarity brings. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that war is a huge conspiracy to keep you from noticing that your water suddenly tastes different or anything like that... it's just an observation.
Anyway, there was a point to this little rant.
I noticed the other day that this applies to individual people as well. Busy people (with a major conflict, i.e. full-time work, or several minor conflicts, i.e. several challenging courses they are taking) don't seem to have time to let the small annoyances of life get to them. These people typically exist in a state which optimizes their activity because a) their busyness means little free-time and b) their free-time becomes that much more important to them to wind down and relax. I see people who have day-in, day-out crises that make me shake my head and wonder how the hell these people will ever make it if a real conflict ever arises for them.
Ultimately I have hope that these individuals will learn to adapt and cope with their environments, finding a life-efficiency that makes them both healthy and satisfied, but there are some I worry about more than others - not for their own happiness so much as them affecting mine... I suppose that makes me a bad person, but this brutal honesty thing is finding a home in me more and more these days.
I used to have more compassion, but it was hanging out with a bird in Chechnya several posts ago... There's some balance I've got to find with speaking my piece to make my peace and not letting it get taken any further.
Cheers!