Caroline Napier 

DHM 1101

Cosette Martinez 

19 September 2021

Mid term blog 

Most people know something about droughts, climate change, or oil spills but they don’t know what a wicked problem is. When I first learned of wicked problems I thought a lot of the issues sounded familiar such as, climate change, biodiversity loss, air pollution, and food insecurity. Since I have been in class I have really enjoyed learning about the wicked problems of the world that not only affect the planet but everyone else on it too. It is really interesting brainstorming ways to prevent such problems because of how difficult it is. As I come to know more about these problems I feel more of a need to make a change, at least in the community around me. After our first class I started being better about recycling, I take faster showers, and I also bought reusable food containers and cups so I don’t throw away so many plastic bags. When I read about Easter island it was almost like deja vu, the island was very small with very few resources and then they came to be known because of how poorly they took care of the island. It feels like deja vu because I can see our world’s resources shrinking and one day easter island might be everywhere. I have been most interested in the track back of it all, for example when was the first piece of trash thrown in the ocean that created a garbage island, where did the land first become shocked, when did our water supplies become contaminated, and how did it all start. It’s a very easy answer, we are what is killing our planet I think because we take and take but most never give back or have ever recycled in their life. Emotionally it makes me sick to think of the issues in our world like garbage islands or oil spills in the oceans. I feel a need to protect the earth and make everything right but it’s not that simple and they are called wicked problems because there is no reasonable solution that everyone can live with. I believe if our earth is as healthy as it can be then we will be healthier too. Things people should care about are chemicals and toxins in their fruits and vegetables and consuming it which causes cancer and other illnesses. It really does blow my mind how little we take care of our world. I would fly over between Nevada and California and see all the open land that no one has touched and I used to think we have so much space in the world but we don’t.  In my mind I thought I was connected to the earth, always living in the present but I wasn’t until I got to know more about wicked problems and it really opened my eyes to something bigger than all of us. I almost get scared in class reading and learning about what is happening to our planet, it’s like any day she will burst open and will have had enough of our poking and pulling of her resources. I use my mindfulness practice as a time to pause and put everything in slow motion. I try to think about a flower or a butterfly, they are the two most calming things to think about in my opinion. I relax and listen to myself breathing and feel my heart in my chest. As I’ve been doing my mindfulness practices I feel more focused during the day and I have been sleeping better too. I also feel like I can concentrate more on things when I do my mindfulness practices before I jump into an assignment or essay. I think overall it has helped me a lot when I am ready to focus on homework and in class activities. 

I feel very passionately about world wicked problems, it’s something I think everyone should be passionate about. I think the best way to beat these problems is we all have to do better, and we will all have to sacrifice a lot but it’s for our next generations and so that we can live on. Ways I deal with wicked problems are to know more about them so I can understand better ways to find possible solutions. I also liked to research and see what people are doing to help against these problems and make the planet better. I like to think that a wicked problem is something we all need to fix, not just a group of us. My favorite part of learning about wicked problems is being more educated about our planet and what our society and culture does to it. I feel strongly that wicked problems are more overlooked than they should be, I never even knew they had classes about wicked problems and one of my goals is to bring more attention to them. When I mean attention I mean people need to post more on social media about these issues, everyday the news casters should talk about wicked problems and the gravity of it all. People need to know more about what is happening to the planet so that we can all understand the seriousness of these problems. I believe I have achieved a humble and compassionate response towards wicked problems. I only wish I could do more, skip to the part where I can make a difference in the world. If I am being completely honest, taking this wicked problems class has made me question what I really want to do in life. Having a compassionate attitude about wicked problems came naturally to me. I remember the first day in class watching the movie you played for us really caught my attention because the men and women speaking in these videos were so concerned with what was going on it made me scared and very eager to help in some way. Finding solutions to these wicked problems isn’t impossible but is because society and culture could never adjust for the better of the earth.