There is no Silver Bullet
"There is no silver bullet that's going to fix that. No, we are going to have to use a lot of lead bullets”. —Ben Horowitz, The Hard Thing About Hard Things
Perhaps the most common fantasy humans entertain is the notion that something will solve a problem with such finality that it will never again be problematic. We search for permanent fixes, answers to questions that would leave us without new questions to ask, and the complete feeling that a task is “done” and may never need to be “done” again.
In psychology, this is known as the silver bullet fallacy—the belief that one therapy session, one book, one mindset shift, or one medication will magically erase anxiety, depression, or self-doubt. It’s an appealing thought, but a misleading one.
The myth of the “silver bullet” is most frequently evoked when we experience sickness or health lapses, physical or emotional. We would like a pill that, when taken, would not only guarantee our healing but also ensure that we would never get sick again. This fantasy is so seductive precisely because it scratches the primal itch that we must identify and solve problems. The human mind cannot help but be compelled by puzzles, challenges, and riddles.
But the reality is that problems emerge and re-emerge. The solution to a problem yesterday may not work today. Likewise, yesterday's solution may have been temporary; it might work for a short time but not endure the test of time. Most commonly, the solutions that we invent have side effects that create new problems.
This describes much of human progress. We devise solutions to problems, but the solutions themselves create new problems. We then have little choice but to devise new solutions to the problems we have created. But, alas, even these solutions generate new problems, just like in a joke: “Life is like a software update — just when you think all the bugs are fixed, a new problem pops out”.
A vicious cycle.
And so the fantasy is born: the idea of a solution that does not create new problems. The dream of one day escaping this vicious cycle. But like any fantasy, such a solution exists only in the theatre of our minds. It does not exist. There is no “silver bullet.” Our search for the panacea will only leave us disillusioned, disenchanted, and disappointed.
There is no perfect job. There is no perfect relationship. There is no perfect diet. There is no perfect person. There is no perfect schedule. There is no perfect body. There is no perfect… [fill in the blank here].
“Life is struggle.” I believe that within that quote lies the most important lesson in entrepreneurship: Embrace the struggle.”
― Ben Horowitz, The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
Escape the Cycle by Choosing Your Problems
The vicious cycle I detailed above is inherently stressful because the discovery and management of more problems ultimately overwhelms our ability to devise new solutions. Eventually, no matter how dedicated, witty, intelligent, and crafty we are, even our best efforts at problem-solving will reach a point of futility.
When humans experience futility and chronic stress, the most common reaction is the development of feelings of anxiety and/or depression. Unsurprisingly, these are the most common mental health symptoms that are diagnosed today.
Much of life’s unnecessary suffering is caused not by our problems but by our futile attempts to escape or avoid our problems.
Escaping this cycle is a matter of choosing your battles effectively.
The first step is internalising the universal truth that life is inherently problematic. Like gravity, thermodynamics, or any other ironclad laws, it seems that to be alive and human means to have an inseparable and intimate relationship with problems.
In all matters, there are two ways that we might relate to problems:
We might try to solve them, which is the equivalent of exchanging our current problems with new problems.
OR
We might try to accept them so that we learn to live with the reality of our problems.
Make no mistake, accepting our problems does not make them no longer problematic. The problems will continue to be inherently stressful. However, by accepting our problems, we might come to develop a relationship of appreciation for them.
“Build a culture that rewards—not punishes—people for getting problems into the open where they can be solved.”
― Ben Horowitz, The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
To that end, we might be able to choose problems that we feel are worthwhile having. We might be able to make our problems meaningful and make the reality of having problems a kind of affirmation of life instead of trying to solve them in an effort to escape life’s problems.
Likewise, if we cannot accept our current problems, then we might seek to exchange them with new problems that we are willing to accept through intentional problem-solving.
If I am out of shape, I can work out, and that might improve my fitness. However, working out takes time, is effortful, and requires consistency. Doing physical activity for prolonged periods of time is strenuous! You may choose the problems of being out of shape, or you can choose the problems of exercising to improve your fitness!
The same is true of any of life’s other problems. You can choose the problems of your current job or exchange them for the problems of your next job. You can choose the problems of your current relationship or exchange them for the problems of your next relationship.
The constant is problems; it’s merely identifying what kinds of problems you would find worthwhile managing and enduring.
The nice thing is that we can always change our minds. As Albert Einstein famously said: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” We can find managing one set of problems fulfilling and worthwhile in one stage or season of life, only to find the same problems intolerable months or years later.
What’s important, however, is that we do commit to our chosen problems for some time, be it a few weeks, months, or even years. After the chosen time has lapsed, we might evaluate our problems to determine if they are still worth having or if we might seek solutions to them.
Commitment isn’t about restriction or limiting freedom or choice. Commitment is merely acknowledging the reality that life’s problems are inescapable. If we do not commit to our problems for some period of time, then we might accidentally find ourselves changing our minds too frequently in a search for finding a “perfect” and “problemless” situation. But as we have already pointed out, such a silver bullet exists! The truth is, mental well-being, physical fitness, and health don’t come from a single breakthrough. Real change requires a multifaceted, ongoing effort, yet many people fall into the trap of searching for a shortcut. They expect therapy to work overnight, rely on self-help trends that promise transformation in a week, or believe that one habit will revolutionise their lives. But just as no single pill can cure every illness, no singular approach can address the complexities of the human mind.
Though it sounds counterintuitive, much of the suffering in life is caused by our attempts to solve our problems. This is because the solution to our problems almost always creates new problems! If we understand that problems are a constant of living experience, then we might be keen enough to choose the problems that we find worthwhile. By accepting and even appreciating our problems, we might find they are no longer the cause of suffering but rather give us something worth fighting for.
