Maru and I had an AirBnb booked for the Christmas break. We were excited to form a small Christmas bubble with some good friends and head up to the Lake District for a few days.
However, with the new COVID strain and the Tier 4 lockdowns I mentioned in a recent post, we were faced with a decision: to cancel or push ahead?
Local optimisation says, “You’re being as safe as possible. You’re hiring a car and not using public transport. You’ll be making your own meals and not eating out. You’re limiting your interactions to 2 other people. You’re unlikely to get caught.”
Global optimisation says, “Yeah, but if you break the rules, and everyone else does the same, the disease will inevitably continue to spread throughout the country. So, stay at home, because we all need to do our part.”
So we decided to cancel our trip, settle in for a cozy London Christmas, and defer travel until it’s safe to do so.
This experience got me thinking about how we’re faced with Local vs. Global optimisation problems almost every day—albeit on different scales:
- I can’t be bothered to tidy the lounge, but it’ll make living here nicer for everyone else
- I don’t want to provide feedback to someone at work for their insensitive comments, but the team will feel safer if this person thinks before they speak
- I don’t like the feeling of wearing a mask, but it may save someone else’s life
There will always be a local optimum and a global optimum. It’s up to you to decide.