This is an important concept and should not be ignored. When solving a problem, you do not want to solve the problem by addressing only the symptoms. You really need to address the issues that cause the problem in the first place.

If you are in pain, you obviously need to take painkillers to alleviate the situation. However, if you have broken your leg, taking painkillers is not going to heal you. True healing is needed before the symptoms can disappear for good.

The above example is easy to understand where the problem is. When the issues are more complex, as social problems can be, jumping in to address the symptoms is not the way to go. If you do this, you may create more problems by complicating the issues further. You need to listen to the data and ‘sniff out’ (sorry for the metaphor – but my dogs have been teaching me how good the senses can be) the root cause of the problem.