ABSTRACT
Philosophers have long warned against hubris. Some cultures take this very literally, such as Japan's most skillful potters, who would cut a "v" shaped nick in the base of an otherwise exquisite piece just to let the spirits know that they were not getting above themselves. Sometimes hubris takes the form of overconfidence in governance, misleading a whole community into making serious mistakes. A fundamental need is housing, and an unacceptably large number of our citizens are unable to afford it. The problem has been addressed with varying success and from many directions in different communities. One of the most successful is known as Housing First. The premise is that to get a person's life back on track, the first thing is to get them established in long-term housing, and from that platform, find them whatever help they may need, including employment.
