From time to time I hope to share what kind of representative I’d like to be if fortunate enough to be elected. Rather than focusing on promises, though – in politics, not everything is in one’s control and I’d prefer not to say something that I cannot guarantee – I’ll detail some of the principles that will guide me whatever comes our way.
The first principle is: Whenever possible, I won’t react. I will act.
What I mean by this statement is as follows: Much of political life seems to be formulating a response to a situation already created by someone else. Sometimes there is nothing one can do about this reality -- the fire has to be put out -- but we should be trying our best to minimize such instances. If I am reacting to a crisis already in existence, the choices of how to respond are going to be far more limited than preventing the crisis from ever starting. And the costs will be far higher.
Dan Heath has written a wonderful book on this topic entitled Upstream: How to Solve Problems Before They Happen. The book begins with a parable: You and a friend are having a picnic by the side of a river. Suddenly you hear a shout from the direction of the water—a child is drowning. Without thinking, you both dive in, grab the child, and swim to shore. Before you can recover, you hear another child cry for help. You and your friend jump back in the river to rescue her as well. Then another struggling child drifts into sight … and another … and another. The two of you can barely keep up. Suddenly, you see your friend wading out of the water, seeming to leave you alone. “Where are you going?” you demand. Your friend answers, “I’m going upstream to tackle the guy who’s throwing all these kids in the water.”
Heath goes on to point out that when you spend years responding to problems – putting out urgent fires -- you can sometimes overlook the fact that you could be preventing them all along. Downstream actions react to problems once they’ve occurred. Upstream efforts aim to prevent those problems from happening.
Heath then proves that in almost every endeavor, the upstream solution is more effective, cost-efficient, long-lasting and impactful.
Consider the problem Iceland government officials were confronting with their youth and the issue of substance abuse. Years ago, this tiny country had the dubious honor of being number one in terms of drunken youth (42% of Icelandic youth had reported having been drunk in the previous 30 days). To solve the problem, they shifted progress upstream. This included a variety of solutions. One idea – aware of the natural teenager need to experience ‘highs’ – had the government and businesses investing in improving sports and other exciting after-school programming, devoting funds not only facilities but also top notch coaches and gift cards for students to participate. The goal was to give the kids something other than drinking to look forward to. Another idea focused on research demonstrating the more time children spent with parents, the less likely they would be delinquent and drunk. So both negative and positive incentives – like a curfew on one hand, and free family passes to festivals on the other -- were offered to encourage children to spend more time together with their parents. And it worked. In 1998, if there was a high school class of 40 students, 17 of those students would have been drunk in the last 30 days; in 2018, only 3 were. That reduction, in turn, generated a reduction in accidental deaths and injuries, substance abuse care, crime and a whole host of other negatives.
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It is to implement the above type of thinking – and apply it to some of Jerusalem’s stubborn problems – that I am excited to be running as part of Deputy Mayor Chagit Moshe’s טב list for City Council. Not only because it gives me opportunity to think how we can improve our city upstream, but also because this is already the type of thinking Chagit Moshe is dedicated to. Sure, she knows how to put out a fire (better than most, in fact). But she also has a long-term vision of what is necessary. It was for this reason she sought and received responsibility for the Education Department. She understands that improving the education of all our youth is one of the best ways to help prepare a responsible citizenship of the future, one that is prosperous, endowed with civic duty and dedicated to developing mutual respect. Over the past years she has brought hundreds of millions of NIS to the table to help improve our schools. With more time – and more power thanks to more City Council Members behind her (that’s where I come in) – she will bring even more.
If this is the type of thinking you’d like to see more of, here are ways you can help the campaign:
1) Share this – and my previous (and future) post.
2) Join this whatsapp group to receive updates: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LHfYGQypG798lD2Tai3yCZ
3) Host a Chug Bayit for me to meet your English-speaking friends and present our case for their vote. We already have 6 but would love to have more. (I'm also happy to speak in shuls if you know of any interested)
4) Volunteer – to pass out flyers, call prospective voters, participate in election events.
5) Hang a sign promoting our campaign in your window.
6) Tell your friends I’m not an ax murderer.
If interested in any of these activities, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/GQzBuyADFYZtdBc56
Ian
(Though for the campaign, it will be Haim
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