"For these cultures, getting rid of the pain without addressing the deeper cause would be like shutting off a fire alarm while the fire's still going"

In this quote, author David Foster Wallace is highlighting the importance of addressing the origin of a problem rather than simply treating the symptoms. He uses the example of an emergency alarm to highlight this point. Simply as turning off a smoke alarm without putting out the fire would not fix the problem, simply getting rid of pain without attending to the underlying concern would not lead to an enduring option. This is especially pertinent in the context of different cultures, where there might be various approaches to handling discomfort and suffering. Wallace recommends that true recovery and resolution can just be attained by addressing the deeper cause.