I think people have some idea that the infrastructure of the world is just all being handled competently and intelligently by somebody, somewhere. Like, that somebody is making sensible decisions about the fundamental parts of our civilization, like water, power, food, etc. But I’ve been involved to some degree in some of the highest levels of the world’s infrastructure, at least tangentially, and my experience is that there are a few desperate people trying to make things go right in the face of numerous restrictions and barriers from governments and other agencies that “know best.” And on top of that they have to wrangle their own organizations, most of which are full of well-meaning but very confused and overwhelmed people who feel like they are not allowed to (or not supposed to) make sensible decisions.
I’m not amazed when I see things go drastically wrong—I’m amazed when I see things go right!
Max Kanat-Alexander 