# The Sad Gap > "*If you give people a really big problem without any way of acting on it, it leads to apathy, not action.*" > – Nancy Knowlton > "*A little learning is a dangerous thing.*" > – Alexander Pope The Sad Gap is the space between discovering the depth and complexity of a problem and discovering the solutions and incredible people who were already working on them. Germans call this feeling "Weltschmerz." ###### Entering The Sad Gap 1. We maybe know a problem exists, but we don't know much about it and aren't very worried about it. 2. We discover the real, concrete, frightening, causes and consequences of that problem and the people and systems responsible for either creating it or stopping it from being solved. Often these details are oversimplified, exaggerated, or sensationalized in order to evoke an emotional response so we'll engage with it more. 3. We enter "The Sad Gap," a space of overwhelm and dread. We feel the world is evil or that evil is causing problems and preventing them from being solved and it becomes inconceivable that anyone could possibly solve it. Outrage, hopelessness, anxiety, depression, panic. ###### Escaping The Sad Gap The Sad Gap is just a space between A and B. Getting out of it means... - ...what I call "sitting in the muck of I-don't-know." - ...learning more and seeing the world and ourselves more complexly. Not avoiding contact with the world, but refining our worldview to something more accurate. - ...noticing little things which contribute to the common good. - ...learning about new projects, new possibilities, new people who have been making efforts to fix the problem. These are often unnoticed by the 24 hour news cycle which makes its money by hijacking our attention for profit. - ...learning about people who are doing the work, and we might even [[Loving Action|join them]]. - [[🔑 Do the next right thing]]. <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-LGHtc_D328?feature=oembed" height="113" width="200" style="aspect-ratio: 1.76991 / 1; width: 100%; height: 100%;"></iframe> ###### See Also - [[Dunning-Kruger effect]] [^1]: