Ah yes. At computer. What you described so well. Ah ha! i found the concept name I was seeking and I’ll write something new about it here. The concept of “dynamic frustration” is another way to discuss what you’re referring to. However, I wouldn’t necessarily say “we have no choice” because local minima can be very distinct particularly when aggregated within an individual organism making what seems to be “their priorities” be entirely distinct from another and yet because we are social beings, we can factor in the histories of others and societies into the internal weighings, adding to the complexity of the moment-to-moment assessments we make. https://www.nature.com/articles/nphys1028

The concept of “dynamic frustration” is another way to discuss what you’re referring to.

However, I wouldn’t necessarily say “we have no choice” because local minima can be very distinct particularly when aggregated within an individual organism making what seems to be “their priorities” be entirely distinct from another and yet because we are social beings, we can factor in the histories of others and societies into the internal weighings, adding to the complexity of the moment-to-moment assessments we make.