One day, in a small town by a river, a bystander noticed a person drowning in a fast-moving current. Without hesitation, a group of townspeople jumped in to save them.

As time went on, more people were spotted struggling in the water. The town organised a team of strong swimmers to act as lifeguards, constantly patrolling the river and rescuing those in danger. They became skilled at saving lives, and the town took pride in their heroic efforts.

However, the number of people needing rescue kept increasing. The lifeguards were working around the clock, and the town was spending significant resources on rescue equipment and training.

One day, a visitor to the town observed the situation and asked, “Why are so many people falling into the river in the first place?” Curious about the answer, she decided to travel upstream.

There, she discovered a cliff with a beautiful view overlooking the river. Many people would come to admire the scenery, but the path was treacherous, and some would slip and fall into the rapid waters below.

The visitor returned to the town and suggested building a fence along the cliff’s edge. Although some townspeople were skeptical at first, they agreed to try it. Once the fence was built, the number of people falling into the river decreased dramatically. The town soon realised that preventing people from falling was far more effective and less resource-intensive than constantly rescuing them from the water. They began to look for other “upstream” solutions to problems they faced.