The Two But Rule

CHAPTER 5Advanced Butology

So far we've been talking about different kinds of buts. We have 1Buts and 2Buts, which come in different sizes and shapes, including my favorite—the fuzzy but. We know what happens if we ignore our buts or end things on an odd-numbered but. And we've learned about the importance of intentions and listening for what's behind them. Now it's time to put it all together and get our buts ready for tackling complex issues, which I group into the very unscientific term gnarly problems.

Gnarly Buts

The Two But Rule can be applied to many kinds of issues, but it's especially useful when dealing with a gnarly problem—one where the thing that makes a problem persist, or the thing preventing you from achieving a goal, is also providing benefits you don't want to give up.

In the world of genetics, sickle cell anemia is a good example of this. It's a blood disorder that can cause organ damage, strokes, and reduced life expectancy. People with the condition tend to experience debilitating pain and fatigue. It's caused by a mutation in the human HBB gene, which provides instructions for making a protein in red blood cells essential for delivering oxygen throughout the body.

Typically, a mutation like this would get selected out of the gene pool, because individuals who have it are less likely to survive and reproduce—at least during the pre-technological age of human evolution. So we shouldn't see sickle cell anemia today. But we do. And the reason why is a good ...