a long time ago, someone designed a car. It was beautifully engineered and truly revolutionary. It was so well designed that it was pretty much built to last forever.
While the car was a something for the history books, the drivers were inconsistent. Some understood the mechanics and drove respectfully. Some showed less regard for the car and drove as it suited their agenda.
Along the way, drivers began allowing for more passengers. Some for altruistic reasons, some because they paid, and some for the sake of personal relationships.
The car was built well enough to handle a few extra passengers, but as passengers increased and time wore on, key parts of the car started to wear down. All the added weight was creating excessive pressure, leading to wear on parts that the car couldn’t function without.
Some of the older passengers are looking out the window saying the car looks just fine. They can tell that the ride is bumpier but it’s hard to notice in a cushy seat. They know that car was built to last and they know it’s gotten them this far.
Those who are more familiar see that the car is unsustainable. If we maintain this rate of passengers, the car will fail. If we want to reduce the amount of passengers, we can keep the car on the road.
Ironically, we’re so focused on the survival of old reliable, that we haven’t given any thought to the new models. Technology changes everything. As great as that car was, modern technology has changed how we get from point A to point B and it’s important to appreciate those changes. There are ideas which we didn’t have the technology to pull off before but could be more viable today.
It’s dangerous assuming there’s no room for improvement. Might be a good time to look at some options. Even better, why don’t we look at what we need from our car, learn from our peers, and build something new and inspiring from the ground up.
My Mental Model 