Sometimes, there is a perfect word the situation; A single word that captures the full essence of intended meaning. In those instances, I will rejoice at the existence of the word, and begin using it immediately to help explain complicated issues as simply as possible.

Today, I recognized the need for a word that I feel may not exist. Furthermore, I believe that the technological focus I perceive virtually demands there be a word that serves this purpose.

So, here is the situation:

Let’s say you are trying to unravel a problem; a problem so complex that there is no available or well-understood pathway to solution (maybe even like the Gordian Knot). There IS a solution - People HAVE solved it - but there is no simple documented procedure.

Then, along comes a process/procedure/pathway that seems to provide a good solution. That strategy, however, is very involved/complex/complicated/difficult to understand.

(Now here is where there should be a word)

“The looming sense that the time devoted to understanding the existing solution strategy will seem wasteful because a better/more elegant solution is just over the horizon.”

Not precisely frustration. Not precisely the explanation for some types of procrastination. Not precisely feeling insufficient to the task. Not precisely an emptiness for failing to understand. But a looming sense that the time devoted to understanding the existing solution strategy will seem wasteful because a better/more elegant solution is just over the horizon.

If I have to, I will create a word. And because many of the words we use to describe these oddly specific fears come from German, let me propose: Loesungseleganzverbesserungsangst.

And because I studied German in Switzerland for a whole year - and I feel like I understand the German tendency to append and prepend stems and roots to achieve a particular purpose -  this word means roughly, “the fear of impending improvements to the elegance of a solution strategy”.

Does anyone else out there have a better (or more elegant) solution?