Symptom or Root Cause

Sustainable Development problems have the root cause, but more than often we are blind folded to believe on the symptom of problem. This simply explained why sustainable development is long over due and difficult to achieve as much efforts have been focused on solving the symptom. It is understandable as people are too impatient to wait for the result to flourish and more than often sustainable development is talking about changing human's behaviour and ways of doing business or ways of life. We have, at time cut down the whole jungle because of a tree. For instance, time for Car parking charge was extended because some decision makers believed that by doing so it can reduce the incidence of money soliciting from the drug addicts; Campaigns on recycling rather than reduce, the higher order in the 3R hierarchy; healthier living by eating the organic food that imported from oversea will cause high level of ecological footprint, a diversion from SD; and many others. Most of us are fire fighters to solve existing problems rather than solving the future challenges. Because of that, we are never able to solve today's problems as time is moving really fast. Until and unless we recognise that solution of problems shall be deep down to the root cause, we are fighting a losing battle.

You might want to share your experiences of real life examples of symptom vs root cause...