The modern world has driven cost/benefit thinking into every single dimension of creation and production - of physical goods, services, software, entertainment,

The modern world has driven cost/benefit thinking into every single dimension of creation and production - of physical goods, services, software, entertainment, and even art and music. The “artist’s statement” that sits on the wall has cut out the critic - the artist wrote it - and cut out the audience - they tell you what their art is, you can no longer think for yourself. And people lap it up because to do less would not be “engaging” in an optimal way. “Optimizing” is shorthand for finding that n-dimensional envelope, with no regard to what lies nearby. Turns out that the natural world, and most people, operate best in scenarios with slop, give, slack, buffer, or whatever term you want to use. That is the humane way to function.