Winfried Dressler wrote
"The analogy of the latest models with life will always be drawn, but life
proved also always to be far beyond. So the further development of systems
science may be motivated by the idea of a "science of life", I do not
believe they will reach this goal, for the simple reason, that the
language of empirical science is not adequate to life. The next higher
step of language is hermeneutical and I think that "systems thinking"
comes close to hermeneutical mutual understanding. But there are forms of
communication far beyond hermeneutics."
Dear Winfried,
Thanks for you thoughts. While I've always been drawn to using different
models to change the frame in order to challenge thinking, they are -- in
the end -- only models. And as such are not life itself. Like the
familiar saying "the map is not the territory."
Here's where I usually come down in my thinking after wandering through
all the many models that represent different facets of life.....
I saw a movie a few months ago about a man beleaguered by rogue lions
while trying to build a bridge in Africa (can't remember the title). He
had not seen his new-born son because he had been away from home for about
a year. When he learned that his wife was coming to visit him, his
African friend said "when you see your son, lift him high and rejoice."
When his wife came, he ran to her, took his infant son in his hands and
with an unmatched smile of love and pride, he lifted the boy high into the
air. At that exact moment, I thought to myself "no one needs to explain
this to anyone." You can't explain life. It is! We can experience it
and learn from it -- but model and explain it?
In our "teaching" we have begun to move towards letting people experience
what it feels like to be in stewardship to the ecology of a living
organizational system -- to breathe life into what wants to happen. A lot
of learning is happening and is yet to come. More than I can make sense
of, most of the time.
But let me close by offering you a gift that was bestowed on me about a
year ago by a wonderful person. This is a partial quote from the opening
plate of a book containing black and white photographs of mothers with
their children. The book is called 'Mother and Child" by Nell Dorr. It's
been out of print for some time.
Life is greater than you know.
It has its own structure,
and pulse and heartbeat.
I can only tell you
that it is yours for the taking.
Come close to it.
Love it.
Give it room to be.
Remember that some things
need more room than others.
Respect such need.
Come humbly and patiently.
Learn to witness and to wait.
Become clear as glass and selfless.
The more still,
the more open and clear you are,
the more will come.
Believe me...
more will come
than you could dream or dare.
- Nell Dorr
John
--John Dicus | jdicus@ourfuture.com CornerStone Consulting Associates | http://www.ourfuture.com Growing Learning Communities Through Whole System Processes 2761 Stiegler Road, Valley City OH 44280 800-773-8017 | 330-725-2728 (fax)
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>