Triumph of General Systems Theory!!!

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7Wannabe5
Posts: 9372
Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 9:03 am

Triumph of General Systems Theory!!!

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

Better than I could hope to manage explanation of the theory:

http://www.statpac.org/walonick/systems-theory.htm

The reason why I am posting this under Inspiration is it worked!!! My brain isn't the best, but I read Kuhn and Gleick a long time ago (30 years?), so that's why I knew perma-culture and ERE (the book) was true. So, I've been wandering about trying to think and behave in alignment with general systems theory in all the realms of my lifestyle. A wonderful thing happened today as a result of a cascade of energy across my web (which is, of course, interwoven with the complex webs of other individuals.) People with enough political power to stop it from happening learned about the expansion of hazardous waste facility near the school where I teach and the realm where I garden, and it looks like the permit is going to be denied!!! I am so happy!!!

I am usually not a person who gets involved in politics. The last issue I got majorly wrought up over was when the voters in a rural town where I previously resided didn't pass the library millage. Anyways, as you guys know, the way I've kind of been doing my lifestyle in alignment with General Systems Theory, has been sort of like making myself somebody whose feminine energy and wife/mom skills are generally available to my community, inclusive of some of the men and women who live in the suburbs and work in the city. The reason why I can afford to do this is that I should be a grandma but I'm not. In accordance with perma-culture, I could not ignore this problem because it was happening within the urban wilderness just a couple miles away. I learned about it because a notice was posted at the school, and then some women who are also members of the community action group that is presided over by one of my partners (Permaculture Manager)became involved and organized a local meeting. So, then I joined the group that was formed just to address this problem, and I took on the task of attempting to spread information within the schools. Then I told my other partner (Peacemaker), who is on the board of directors of another non-profit, about the problem and he gave the information to his media contacts and suggested that it would be a great story, and I would be a great person to interview about it. Then the media contact finally got in touch with me, and I called on the Permaculture Manager and his fellow community group members, and a couple of the wonderful teachers I substitute for who like me because I do a good job "babysitting" their kids, and they helped me pull together all the pieces the news media wanted in place when they arrived. Then the media contact did a fantastic job of bullet-pointing the issue in the piece which was broadcast on local news, and the urban farmer activist who hosts our group and was interviewed for the piece, met with the powerful political people yesterday, and they said they didn't know about it previously, and they were not going to let it happen!!!

I think the next thing I am going to try to do in my role as community female is try to help the Cowboy and one of his best friends (the one who shared symphony tickets and alpine strawberries with me) get joint custody of their children. Pretty much the only reason they don't have custody is because they are too grouchy, and do stupid things like yell at a 10 year old because he does not know how to use a knife, or use profanity when addressing ex-mother-in-law. They both garden already, but I also need to convince the Cowboy to start working on geo-thermal energy rather than in manufacturing. The Cowboys' other best friend is an eccentric INTJ in his 70s who made a fortune in the stock market, and still can't bring himself to spend any of it. He grew up on a farm in the olden day, so he knows about using alfalfa to restore soil, and he saves all his seeds etc.etc. and even though he is total political conservative he has very long-term black girlfriend and adopted daughter, so, maybe, I can somehow link him with the Permaculture Manager through their shared interest in life-prolonging-juicer-concoctions and they could do a big project together.

enigmaT120
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Location: Falls City, OR

Re: Triumph of General Systems Theory!!!

Post by enigmaT120 »

Congratulations on your work with the hazardous waste site, and I hope they follow through on preventing the expansion.

Dragline
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Re: Triumph of General Systems Theory!!!

Post by Dragline »

+1

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Sclass
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Re: Triumph of General Systems Theory!!!

Post by Sclass »

I used to use this kind of philosophy in electronic design. Divide and conquer. Get all the individual pieces working well then hook them up.

A simple example is a digital thermometer. Design a physical probe that converts temperature into electron motion. Make a preamp for the signal. Digitally process the signal to clean it up and straighten out the kinks. Build a display so we can read it.

The design process fell apart (making for monumentally stressful engineering schedule debacles mid project) for the reasons cited in the link posted. Nonlinearity, feedback, noise and loading (different energy requirements between different lumped elements) were the main show stoppers. Think about having a manager yelling "your part works, your part works too, and yours too but why doesn't it work when we put it together?" All engineers insisting their part works and all parts do on their own.

People systems have a lot of these issues. Good luck with things.

7Wannabe5
Posts: 9372
Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 9:03 am

Re: Triumph of General Systems Theory!!!

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

Sclass said: People systems have a lot of these issues. Good luck with things.
Good point. The above post was clear evidence of my tendency towards irrational exuberance. However, I do generally follow the practice of centering myself in self-aware self-care and only expending my energies in larger zones of influence if they intrude directly into mine. I don't want to become like Mrs. Jellyby.

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