Dear Organlearners,
Don Dwiggins <d.l.dwiggins@computer.org> writes:
> At, whom do you refer to by "systems thinkers"? As I understand the
> phrase, I'd certainly include you. I'm having trouble identifying people
> I'd consider systems thinkers in any sense, who also have created a
> horrible system that is causing all the hurt.
Greetings Don,
I wish I could answer you as concisely as you have put your question
to me.
What is "systems thinking"? I will give only my viewpoint to keep it
short. My systems thinking is giving form (pattern) to all my
thinking and thoughts as content. My system thinking began when I
became aware that my mind, driven by my heart, is weaving a web.
Some twenty-five years ago I became interested in the question
whether system thinking is essential to all thinking humans, i.e a
property of humaneness. At first I was able to identify systems
thinking only among those who shared some of my own systems thinking.
But as I talked to people from all walks of life, rich and poor, in
densely populated cities and lonely remote places, using simple
questions such as "how?" and "why?", I discovered that all of them
were systems thinkers, each having a unique "thinking system".
Very few ever reckognised their own system thinking formally
(objectively) -- the far majority were thinking tacitly
(subjectively) about it. Some were content with their own systems
thinking, taking very little notice from other person's system
thinking. I think of them as "elementary system thinkers". We all
did so when we were kids.
Others were very much concerned about the system thinking of their
fellow humans, trying to weave these with there own as far as
possible. I think of them as having emerged to "elemental system
thinkers". It is part of the process of becoming an adult mentally.
Eventually, having had long enough aquaintace with some people, I
observed how and when they emerged from "elementary system thinkers"
(kids) to "elemental system thinkers" (adults). Unfortunately, some
adults remain kids with respect to their system thinking.
My own granddaughter Jessica, 6 years old, is now showing signs of
emerging from the "elementary" to the "elemental".
Maybe this distinction between "elementary" and "elemental" system
thinkers will be of some value to you. I myself at a certain stage of
my life expected much "systems thinking" among fellow humans and
found little of it. I was wrong. I was not able to distinguish
between "elementary" and "elemental" systems thinking. I was actually
expecting an abundance of "elemental system thinkers" and thus were
not able to observe the abundance of "elementary system thinkers".
I also began to observe how "system thinking" (of the mind) is
closely related to hurt and happiness (of the heart).
With respect to hurt. The "elementary system thinkers" (kids or
adults) often hurt others through their own hubris (ignorant
arrogance). Some "elemental system thinkers" also hurt others because
in their systems thinking they believe that the world is nothing
else than a nasty place against which they have to defend themselves.
They were caught up in a spiral of destructive (negative) thinking.
What surprised me most were some "elemental system thinkers" who hurt
themselves in their quest not to cause hurt in others. They had no
place for themselves in their system thinking and usually suppressed
their "elementary systems thinking" with all their might.
With respect to happiness. The "elementary system thinkers" (kids or
adults) need an environment which promotes constructive creativity in
order to experience happiness rather than hurt. People who love other
people, whether they are "elemental system thinkers" or " "elemental
system thinkers", usually try to provide such an environment. Parents
are a fine example. Some "elemental system thinkers" try to amplify
this love with a system of creativity protocols which will ensure
constructive creativity. The "Ten Commandments" is the classical
example. A "system of human rights" is another example. Even my
"seven essentialities of creativity" is an example. None of these
systems of creativity protocols will work if love is not present.
Protocols can amplify the love needed, but they cannot ever replace
it.
To become aware that a particular system thinking can be a horrible
system which causes deep hurt, was not easy and simple for me. During
the sixties, some systems thinkers in South Africa began to
distinguish in the "apartheid system" between "klein apartheid"
(petty apartheid) and "groot apartheid" (grand apartheid). "Petty
apartheid" entailed the separation of Europeans and Non-europeans in
all walks of life, especially in minute details such as saparate
entrances and amenities. "Grand apartheid" entailed the separation of
people of different cultures in self-governing states. (Maybe Les Lax
can tell us more about it.)
I became politically active in 1965 (21 years old) and believed up to
1969 that "petty apartheid" was very hurting, but that "grand
apartheid" was little hurting. But in 1969 I came into conflict on
the issue of trust with the secret society (Broederbond) who actually
governed the country behind the scenes. By that time I was already
thinking much about identity, wholeness and creativity, but never saw
any connection between it and the policy of apartheid. Then, as a
result of the conflict with the secret society, I began to experience
all sorts of measures taken against me by them. I was forced to
become aware of their existence, but also to think anew about
identity, wholeness and creativity.
I was very concerned about the Afrikaner culture in which my own
identity fits, knowing that my creativity depended on this identity.
But I also began to observe how people tried to preserve their
sureness (identity) by fragmenting wholeness. I began to understand
that wholeness was just as essential to creativity as sureness. Thus
this "preservation of sureness by destroying wholeness" became very
consufing to me -- a sort of "political individualism". I also began
to observe the opposite, namely "preservation of wholeness by
destroying sureness (identity)" -- a sort of "political
collectivism".
I became sensitive how our beloved country was going down the drain
and how the creativity of its peoples were impaired because of the
conflict between "political individualsim" and "political
collectivism". I lost all my interest in working for politicians and
their parties because they were insensitive to the hurt they were
causing with this conflict. I began to study books on political
systems all over the world through all the ages and often became
aware of this conflict" "sureness" (individualism) vs "wholeness"
(collectivism). The confusion was definitely not only my own making.
I also began to read on philosphy and systems thinking, hoping that
my confusion would become less by finding a system which harmonised
sureness and wholeness. All remained confusing. In my own (which I
now recognise as) "elementary systems thinking" I became very
sensitive that "being-becoming", sureness and wholeness played major
roles in my own creativity. But I could not say why or how!! Then in
1982-83 I discovered empirically that "entropy production" also
happens in the abstract world of mind. (The documentation of this
discovery will be given in my book.) This discovery melted the whole
of my "elemental systems thinking" and much of my "elementary systems
thinking", i.e making them plasmodial.
I was very fortunate in being so sensitive to "being-becoming",
sureness and wholeness before the discovery. Why? During the
discovery I came deeply under the impression how much
"being-becoming", sureness and wholeness played a role in the
discovery! I realised that the time has come to find out finally what
these three patterns were and how they were related to creativity.
heir occurance in the empirical discovery itself was not
enough. They had to "stand on their own legs".
Well, I eventually discovered that "being-becoming", sureness and
wholeness were three among seven things essential to have
constructive creativity. But most important, I began to realise how
important it is that we cannot "serve" both constructive creativity
and destructive creativity. The paradigm for destructive creativity
(impair some essentialities) is self-fulfilling just as the paradigm
for constructive creativity (improve all essentialities). The former
leads to downward spiral of hurt and hate and the latter to an upward
spiral of happiness and love.
I began to understand why "grand apartheid" was so wrong.
Don, I think that many "systems thinkers ... who also have created a
horrible system that is causing all the hurt" are not aware that they
are following a self-fulfilling paradigm. Some others who are aware
of this, do not know how to escape from this paradigm. I have
encountered only a few people in my life who are on this path of
destruction by making learned choices. This gives me great hope for
the future.
Best wishes
--At de Lange Gold Fields Computer Centre for Education University of Pretoria Pretoria, South Africa email: amdelange@gold.up.ac.za
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