Bifurcation Points
A bifurcation point is like a fork in the road. In a non-linear system it is a point that branches and can lead into any number of possibilities. In the life of a complex system (a dynamic system with many interconnected parts), bifurcation points are those points in time and space where decisions, choices and actions can dramatically alter the entire system. This can lead to more chaos, which can destroy the system or to a new way of doing things that can restore balance and harmony.
Each one of us is a complex system. Collectively, we are a complex system. The health of a complex system depends on maintaining a fine balance between chaos and order.
Complex Systems Quotes
Albert Einstein
A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
Sandra Day O'Conner
We don't accomplish anything in this world alone . . . and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one's life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something.
Peter Senge
Systems thinking is a discipline for seeing wholes. It is a framework for seeing interrelationships rather than things, for seeing patterns of change rather than static "snapshots." It is a set of general principles - distilled over the course of the twentieth century, spanning fields as diverse as the physical and social sciences, engineering, and management... During the last thirty years, these tools have been applied to understand a wide range of corporate, urban, regional, economic, political, ecological, and even psychological systems. And systems thinking is a sensibility - for the subtle interconnectedness that gives living systems their unique character.
Margaret J. Wheatley
The things we fear most in organizations - fluctuations, disturbances, imbalances - are the primary sources of creativity.
Erich Frohmm
Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.
Ursula K. Leguin
The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next.
M. Scott Peck
The whole course of human history may depend on a change of heart in one solitary and even humble individual - for it is in the solitary mind and soul of the individual that the battle between good and evil is waged and ultimately won or lost.
The science of complexity and chaos can be useful when trying to understand human psychology or the cellular structure of the human body. It is also used as a tool to help businesses find ways to stay competitive in the market or investors understand the stock market.
Every moment is a potential bifurcation point. Every one of us is a potential agent for change. We are all part of a complex system called the universe and all of our individual patterns intertwine; a reflection of the universe.
Many times our individual "patterns" can be represented mathematically as fractals. Fractals are pieces of a system that share similar patterns with the system as a whole. Fractals are found everywhere: in plants; in organizations; in disciplines of study.
Basically, we all have the potential to make the world a better place. Our thoughts, beliefs, and actions are important. They influence what the system will become.
As Red Green (a character in a Canadian comedy show) says, "I'm pulling for you. We're all in this together."
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