The flying bottles sometimes hit a piece of angle iron in the ceiling that cracked and damaged them. He suggested that they put a sheet of plywood over the angle iron to prevent the damage. After that, no more bottles leaked. I think it was an issue of motivation, education, reinforcement and temperament. This is learned behavior.
People can solve problems if they want to.
The first phase is denial. Denial is a natural stage of problem solving, and you have to learn the patience to work through it. The second phase is futility. If the task is impossible, then potential problem-solvers are off the hook. You have to work through futility as well.