Last night after a long, late, and probably futile meeting, I stopped in the parking lot to help a colleague jump-start his car. The night was dark and cold and we were constantly pelted with sharp ice pellets, but I did not regret helping for one single moment--because for the first time all day, I was able to offer a simple solution to another person's problem.
Too many of the problems that come my way these days stymie all attempts to assist. Sometimes it's because the person asking for help really doesn't want a solution, but more often it's because the problems are too tangled and I lack the right kind of sword to cut through the Gordian knot. I am happy to help a student narrow search terms to find resources for a project, but if what he really needs is a time machine so he can go back and reverse a whole semester's worth of bad decisions--well, good luck with that.
And faculty governance is the worst. Some person or group brings us an issue and we promise to look into it, but the more we look, the more complicated it gets and the less likely that we'll find a solution that pleases anyone. Maybe we'll pass the concern up the ladder, or maybe we'll draft a stern memo or write a motion to bring before the faculty, or maybe we'll form a hearings board to listen to a formal grievance, but all too often the actions available to us accomplish little more than a pat on the back and a gentle "there, there."
A dead car battery, on the other hand, is a solvable problem. I have jumper cables and my colleague knows how to use them, so within minutes his car turned over with a very satisfying VROOM. I was wet and cold and eager to get home, but I had to take a moment to savor the feeling of finally calling a problem solved.
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