In 2008, the systems and networks research communities find themselves victims of their own successes. This white paper reviews some of the evidence that the two areas are under enormous stress, and suggests that the situation is only going to get worse. Yet there are a number of simple steps we can take to reduce stresses if we start by asking ourselves what motivates the various parties involved. By fine-tuning the system, we can make life easier for ourselves, improve the level of satisfaction for typical researchers, open the door to innovative younger people who are thinking "out of the box", and reduce the risk of abuses stemming from frustration.