Problem blindness is when we accept the way things are. We do not recognize that there could be a better way. It is a way to justify not taking action. 

If you are human, you are concerned by the arrest and murder of George Floyd and the long list of the other mistreated and murdered people of color. This means you are beginning to recognize the problem. It is upsetting to me that without the viral video, the problem blindness to racism would likely continue unnoticed by many. Now, it is in the spotlight and there is interest to do something to dramatically improve social justice, but how do we start?

Our society rewards reactive responses to problems. We throw resources after the problem and hesitate to put in the effort to prevent the problems in the first place. Firing and charging the offending police officers with murder is an example of a reactive response. It is at least a recognition of the injustice. It does not fix the systemic social issues that are...