“Do you see those gaps there?” I said to my son as we stood near the fence of our property last December. “That’s a gateway a problem.”
I spoke those words after it dawned on me that the emerging gaps were early signs of a serious future issue. The fence that encircles our land has always served its purpose—keeping our livestock in and numerous forms of danger out.
On the day I identified the gaps, erosion had begun to eat away at the base of the fence, leaving visible holes that seemed harmless at first glance. Yet to me, those gaps were an alarm—a clear indicator of what was to come if left unattended.
It occurred to me then, and it’s even clearer now, that every serious problem in life—regardless of context—begins as a process, not a sudden event. Whether it’s a fence falling apart, a family breaking down, a company collapsing, or a nation at odds with itself—there are always warning signs before the crisis unfolds.
SMALL GAPS – BIG PROBLEMS
Before a person goes broke, they usually pass through a series of poor decisions neglected budgets, financial indiscipline, impulsive spending, or simple laziness.
Before a marriage ends, the cracks were present long before the lack of communication, unresolved arguments, or growing disrespect. Before corruption consumes a government, it starts with tolerated misconduct, ignored red flags, or turning a blind eye where accountability is needed.
Problems don’t fall from the sky they rarely do. They brew over days, months, or even years.
So why are we so often surprised when disaster strikes? Because we’re either not paying attention or worse, we’re ignoring the process leading up to a full-blown problem.
THE HUMAN FACTORS THAT GIVE BIRTH TO PROBLEMS
Many problems are rooted in the subtle attitudes and behaviours we choose to tolerate. The initial symptom may seem insignificant like taking things for granted but it creates an environment that slowly undermines effort and commitment.
In relationships, finances, or careers, believing that something will keep working without attention or effort is a certain path to disaster.
Disinterest plays a major role in how big problems form. A disengaged parent raises a child who feels invisible—reinforcing the belief that no one cares. A disinterested citizen enables poor governance, because what we ignore never improves—it simply decays.
Then there’s delusion—the refusal to see things as they truly are. When people believe problems will “fix themselves”, or that they’re immune to consequences, they abandon responsibility. Similarly, carelessness breeds avoidable mistakes. A small oversight in health, finances, or communication often snowballs into something far more damaging when not corrected early.
YOUTH NAIVETY
Naivety, especially among the youth and inexperienced leaders, causes people to underestimate threats and overestimate their ability to cope. It blinds them to reality.Laziness also plays a large role in the birth of problems. Countless opportunities are lost, not through failure, but from a deep-rooted reluctance to even try.
Haven’t pride and arrogance led many into shameful and regrettable situations? When individuals, families, or nations stop learning and listening, they become stagnant, irrelevant—and eventually, they fall.
Stubbornness, jealousy, envy, and hatred are equally destructive. These attitudes lead to conflict, inefficiency, mistrust, and waste. They break families, churches, teams, and entire communities.
Then there’s excessive talk, where silence could have saved the situation. People have lost jobs, relationships, deals, and contracts because of ill-timed or inappropriate words. Sometimes the problem isn’t the talking—it’s the absence of action to back it up.
And let’s not forget dishonesty and the lack of integrity.
The dismissal, the court appearance, the suspension, the failed marriage—those aren’t the root problems. The root is dishonesty. That’s where it began, and that’s where it should have been dealt with.
Without trust, there can be no progress. Whether in relationships, institutions, or governments, betrayal of trust always carries long-term consequences.
A CASUAL ATTITUDE
Many people’s current problems began the moment they treated something serious with a casual attitude. A student who dismissed their studies fails the exam, loses their scholarship, and risks their future.
A leader who ignores market shifts sees their company lose relevance. A careless worker who cuts corners causes financial and reputational damage to their organisation.
These are not random failures. They are the final stage of a long, ignored process. Carelessness, inattention, and a lack of urgency consistently turn minor issues into catastrophic events.
NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE DECAY
This philosophy extends far beyond the personal—it applies to nations, regions, and global affairs.
In Eswatini, like many developing countries, we have seen how infrastructure—once built with pride—has begun to crumble due to neglect. Roads, bridges, and public utilities don’t collapse overnight. The signs are always there: cracks in concrete, blocked drains, potholes after every rainstorm.
If left unaddressed, a simple issue becomes a national crisis. A neglected pothole becomes a death trap. An overflowing drain becomes a health hazard.
The tragedy is not the damage itself—it’s the fact that we saw it coming and did nothing.
Haven’t we all witnessed situations where a problem simmered for decades—only for it to be declared a national emergency once it finally spirals out of control? We must surely do better.
CLIMATE CHANGE – THE LOUDEST QUIET PROBLEM
Globally, climate change remains one of the loudest warnings humanity has ever received. For decades, scientists have spoken clearly—rising temperatures, disappearing forests, melting ice caps.
But world leaders, corporations, and even ordinary citizens have too often chosen profit, convenience, and politics over precaution.
The result? Worsening droughts, rising seas, heatwaves, and increasingly frequent disasters.
Climate change is not a surprise—it’s the natural outcome of ignoring decades of warnings. The red flags are already up. Sadly, it’s a textbook case of how neglecting early signs leads to irreversible damage.
DIGITAL NEGLIGENCE – THE FACEBOOK SCANDAL
We’ve seen this same pattern in the tech world. Take the 2018 Facebook–Cambridge Analytica scandal, which exposed massive data misuse and shattered public trust in one of the world’s most influential companies.
Cambridge Analytica harvested user data to influence voter behaviour during the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the Brexit referendum. Facebook knew about this misuse for years but failed to act decisively.
The causes were clear: a culture of unchecked growth, disregard for user privacy, and overconfidence in the platform’s invulnerability.
The warning signs were there—concerns about data harvesting had been raised long before—but they were ignored in favour of metrics and revenue. When the scandal broke, it triggered global outrage, regulatory action, and massive reputational damage.
Users deleted their accounts. Trust in Big Tech plummeted.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE – A BREWING CRISIS?
Today, we are witnessing another silent build-up: the unchecked rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
While AI brings immense benefits to medicine, finance, and communication, it also introduces new risks: job losses, surveillance abuse, cybercrime, misinformation, and more.
Deepfakes are eroding public trust. AI-generated propaganda is influencing elections. Workers across industries are being replaced.
These are early warnings. If the global community fails to regulate and guide this powerful technology, we may face a crisis unlike anything we’ve known.
STAYING AHEAD OF PROBLEMS
Back to the fence on my property the real risk was never the gap itself. It was in what the gap allowed: predators entering, livestock escaping, safety compromised. Had we waited until something went wrong, the cost would’ve been far greater.
The same principle applies to life. The key lies in awareness. We must pay attention to the small shifts—the quiet warnings, the subtle habits.
Problems often begin as whispers, not shouts. What we ignore today, we will certainly pay for tomorrow.
FINAL WORD
My takeaway from all this is that the true tragedy is not the problem itself—it’s how avoidable it was. How visible the warning signs were. How many people chose indiscipline, procrastination, silence, disinterest, laziness, ignorance, or pride over timely action.
But this is not without hope. We can certainly do better.
We must cultivate a culture individually and collectively of noticing, questioning, and acting before things fall apart. Because problems always make an announcement before their arrival. And we always have a choice to respond swiftly and decisively.
Until next week, God Bless!
Feedback & Correspondence:
Email: johnpires@live.com
Mobile: +268 7606 5993
WhatsApp: +268 7602 7758
