I was trying to put something back together and having no luck-- it just wouldn't screw together. No matter how carefully I aligned the sides, the threads wouldn't catch. I decided the threads must be stripped out. I was in a bit of a hurry so I put it aside to see what I could do later when I had more time.
Later, I tried screwing it together and still had no luck, so I (belatedly) decided to actually look at it. To observe, as I constantly remind myself to do.
Looking closely, I noticed it had reverse threads-- "Lefty, tighty". After making that observation, it went back together easily. I can't see any rational reason for the threading to be backwards, but it is. Why did it take me so long to pause and observe?
How many other times have I blundered through life, working off of wrong assumptions, not pausing to make a necessary observation, and wondering why it's not working? Plenty!
I think a lot of the world's problems are caused by this exact thing. It's why people see corruption in political systems which are working exactly as designed. It's why their great idea to control and coerce people-- ignoring human nature-- backfires. They didn't bother to observe, they just assumed. And it is working just as you'd expect.
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