the problem of life:

working together hard at ensuring that nothing happens,

that is no "thing" that would make this thing that did happen some particular other thing that would require new deliberation

(and thereby interrupt the flow of the other things that must also be accomplished)

 

e.g. keeping a lecture on track given the possibility that, at any time, some thing could happen that would end the lecture (note that the lecture-as-social-work started a long time ago when it was decided that it would happen on this date, but initially not at this time, and that it is happening now only because a lot of still other things that would have made it impossible did not happen--including a medical emergency preventing the speaker from speaking.