My first fish tape was just a straightened paperclip.

Yeah bennett.riley has a point about heat, it's never just one thing. I see this everywhere now, like trying to fix a problem by doing way too much of something and causing a new one. We overwater plants, overcorrect at work, overthink simple stuff. Your basil story is a perfect little example of good intentions backfiring because the system, plant or otherwise, can only take so much. Finding that balance is the real trick.