Catch 22

Catch 22
From Wikipedia:

A catch-22 is a paradoxical situation from which an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules or limitations.[1] [2] The term was coined by Joseph Heller, who used it in his 1961 novel Catch-22.

An example is:
 * In needing the experience to get a job..."How can I get any experience until I get a job that gives me experience?" – Brantley Foster in The Secret of My Success.

Catch-22s often result from rules, regulations, or procedures that an individual is subject to, but has no control over because to fight the rule is to accept it. Another example is a situation in which someone is in need of something that can only be had by not being in need of it (e.g, the only way to qualify for a loan is to prove to the bank that you don't need a loan). One connotation of the term is that the creators of the "catch-22" situation have created arbitrary rules in order to justify and conceal their own abuse of power.

Even if Catch-22 is used satirically in the novel, Catch-22 can be used to illustrate several other situations in real life: like quantum physics. Quantum works as long as you are not watching it but as soon as you try to observe it stops working.

Major major major major
In an exchange with Yossarian, MMMM makes several statements that I want to remember:

"Never say there is nothing you can do"
As I see it, the sentence "There is nothing I can do" is a way to acknowledge your own lack of power. In some way, it shows you incompetency, it shows that you are useless in this situation.

On a personal level, this can be a heavy burden as no one want to admit his own uselessness. It is also a sign of giving up, of refusing to find a way. As a manager, it demises your role in itself, if you are not able to solve your employee problem, then why should they obey you. Once again, if you cannot help them, what is your purpose for them?

Refusing to say that "there is nothing you can do" is also a change in a state of mind. Not being able to say it means that you have to find something you can do. If the door is shut, you have to find the window. You cannot give up and you need to keep fighting. It reinforces the sense of accountability by removing the easy escape of dodging the responsibility. It does not prevent failures but blocks the easy acceptance of them.

Individual behavior and group thinking
Yossarian approach MMMM with a fair statement. He wants an exception to go to war because he fears for his life. MMMM argues that he cannot do an exception because he is afraid of the consequences of everyone starting the same mindset.

Yossarian is brilliant in his response. If everyone was thinking the way he is, he would be a fool not to think the same way. If not everyone is thinking the same way, then there is no chance of spreading. In both cases, the logical answer seems to accommodate Yossarien request, unless changing the line of argumentation toward fairness, equality, rules, etc.