Fireflies and snow

Che Yin's family was poor. He had no lamp oil, so in summer he collected dozens of fireflies, put them in a white silk bag, and read by that light.

Sun Kang had the same problem. In winter he went outdoors and read by the light reflecting off the snow.

The two stories are always told together, and that's the entire point: same obstacle, two solutions, both good enough.

I notice this because we spend so much energy on finding the best method. Neither of these is the best method. Firefly light is weak and seasonal. Reading by snow works only in winter and only when the moon's out and only if it hasn't melted.

You know what either of these people didn't do. They didn't wait until they could afford oil. They didn't announce a plan. They found the version of the problem their local circumstances would actually support.

That's the whole thesis I'd want to hold. The good plan is the one that fits your rainy week, your winter nights, your own capacity, not the one that fits the article about it.

What's your firefly solution? Small, absurd, works only in your weather, and lets you keep going until the oil-money arrives.

MOJOWAY starts with what's possible this week, because the impressive plan that doesn't survive March is not a plan.