However, I think that what is missing in this debate is the understanding that there is no one solution to any of these issues. This is because the issues are "wicked".
According to Rittel and Webber (1973), wicked problems are "difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognise. Moreover, because of complex interdependencies, the effort to solve one aspect of a wicked problem may reveal or create other problems."
Wicked problems don't have obvious solutions and they don't necessarily have a right or wrong answer.
It all depends on who is considering the problem. We all have our own interpretation on the events of the world and often there are multiple solutions to one problem.
Just as there are as many solutions as there are problems, and there are as many unforeseen consequences to solutions as there are problems.
Jon Kolko (author of Wicked Problems: Problems Worth Solving) says there is an assortment of interconnected issues leading to wicked problems, each which are interdependent on other issues and problems.
For instance, poverty is linked with education, nutrition with poverty, the economy with nutrition, and so on.
Often we look for simple solutions for such complex social issues and it doesn't work.
The refugee crisis is an example of a wicked problem. There simply isn't any straightforward solution to this problem.
Instead of problem-solving, we need to innovate our way around the issue. Perhaps we need to tap into our core values of kindness and compassion and make human-centred decisions, not political ones.
Maybe we need to involve lots of different people in brainstorming new and innovative ways to address the refugee crisis.
People from all professions, walks of life, cultures and socio-economic status should be brought together to brainstorm radical ideas.
This way we could possibly reach a more compassionate and innovative way to address the refugee crisis, and indeed many of our wicked problems today.
To me it is heart-wrenching to observe refugee families go through such horror, simply in order to keep their children safe.
To make this situation better, we need to do better.
By involving all of humanity in the decisions that affect humanity, we might be able to get a better shot at solving some of the wicked problems that impact us today.
-A registered psychologist with a Masters in Applied Psychology, Wanganui mother-of-two Kristen Hamling is studying for a PhD in well-being at Auckland University of Technology.
