15-5

What is it about the phrase "devil you know" that appeals to us?

It is easier to deal with the struggles or problems that you are accustomed to dealing with. When changes occur and we find ourselves having to think deeply about new problems or new ways of dealing with encounters or struggles we feel like "if only I had the same problems i had before...." This makes sense to us all. We want to develop our skills in areas that we enjoy and things we like, so when challenged in a negative way it seems the more familiar negatives allow us to autopilot ourselves and devote the developments to more positive ways.
When I work with new people I frequently find myself wishing I was working with some other more person that I already knew how they would react.
Is this a good thing? That we crave the familiar. Or is it something that holds us back.

Are we really more effective with the devil we know? Is it really a matter of comfort or is there a level of productivity that is lost from encountering new negative encounters?

When we apply this to a sort of community consciousness do we find ourselves agreeing to things we might not as individuals because we fear that something might be worse or require more of our attention?

I guess it helps to already know the responses and the ways around our struggles. Or at least the ways to ignore them.