The alternative to self-similarity at different scales has already been tested and more or less rejected: it's DSLs of the kind Lisp and Smalltalk let you creat

The alternative to self-similarity at different scales has already been tested and more or less rejected: it's DSLs of the kind Lisp and Smalltalk let you create. The idea being that you build a high level language out of abstractions and it levers up the language. The problem is that a custom language so built is harder for newcomers to the project to get to grips with. If it's a super common problem, and the solution gets popular, it might work out - see e.g. Rails with its DSLs for migrations, routes, etc. But that's a small fraction of problems. Hired developers don't really want to learn you custom thing, too, as it reduces their market value.