Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات · 2 دقائق وقت القراءة · ~100 ·

التدوين
>
مدونة Ali
>
Interdependence and Metaphors

Interdependence and Metaphors

c4026d73.jpg

If we draw our history paths and what happened to us we shall find that many turning effects started from small events that caused a diversion of our paths. Small things we do today may be influential over time in reshaping our lives. These changes don’t necessarily originate from our actions, but from the actions of others. Others here may include even microorganisms.

The reality in our lives is that we humans are part of the ecosystem in which we live. We are dependent on plants to eat and to consume carbon dioxide to produce among others Oxygen. We get more than 25% of our drugs from plants. The plants in return depend on others for their survival. Trees and fungi have the biggest underground network so that trees may warn each other of a risk they might be exposed to. When one tree is attacked by insects, it releases chemicals that get distributed through the fungi beneath the soil to warn nearby trees of a possible attack by insects so the other trees can prepare by changing the chemical makeup of their leaves.

The concept that "all living things are connected to other living things" at first seems implausible in the natural environment given the approach of "six degrees of Kevin Bacon". In reality, we all living systems are connected this way.

This brings the issue of using metaphors that offend some people. In my previous buzz on The Fish Pond Metaphor objected to using this metaphor for approximating the shrinkage of our world to that shrinkage of the world of fish by transferring them from an ocean into a small fish pond. I am sorry, but I disagree. We are all connected and seeing the humans as independent of what happens to other living systems is just ignoring this interdependence. Microorganism live in our bodies and they ferment many product that we depend on including food and pharmaceuticals. Why do we accept these facts and then find using fish as metaphor is unrealistic is vague to me, the least to say.

A second point is our attempts to read the future. I find it almost impossible to predict the future because of the intricate interdependence of living systems. We depend on bees to pollinate plants and yet we have interrupted the way bees communicate. This has resulted in the disappearance of many bees and threatening our world for fear of lack of plants production. We depend on bees and we kill them. The point here is that because of these known and unknown relationships it is almost impossible to predict the future. It is not only the butterfly effect operating in weather forecasting; more it is the impossible task of predicting our futures.

If we can’t predict the future then why do we worry about it? I believe in the invitations to keep in flow and enjoy the present fully. If we spend efforts in predicting the future it is more likely that our predictions shall fail. Our expectations shall not be met. This results in disappointment. If we keep doing the same our disappointment shall buildup and turn into loss of self-confidence, strong feelings that we are failures and building up of burning stress.

Enjoy the present. Act wisely. What happens shall happen. We increase our chances of brighter futures if we do lots of small considerate acts.


"
#Kevin Bacon #Pond Metaphor #Interdependence #Metaphors #Oxygen
التعليقات

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #49

I believe it is time to seek the wisdom of Joanne Gardocki

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #48

Thre are two extremes dear . One extreme is no planning at all. The other is very strict and rigig planning. In between there is flexible plan ing or adaptive planning. In between is not the mid point between the two extremes. It depends, as you mentioned, on many factors such as our knowledge and experience as well as the type of project we work on. I dare also add our level of intuition. So, I agree with your comment and the need to have adaptive planning or what you termed loose planning. Thank you also for your consideration of the fish metaphor. It helps in understanding the value of loose planning.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #47

#58
thank you again dear Susan \ud83d\udc1d Botello. I agree completely with you. You remind me of farmers who decide to plant a crop because weather expectations will be good for selected plants. The farmer does his best. Suddenly the weather turns against all expectations. The farmer loses his crop. Yes life with fulfilled expectations shall be dull. On the other hand it is always a risk. We have to accept realities. In the case of the farmer he would be better off to vary his crops so that he does not lose all his crops. But the wind can not read. But I can read your wisdom.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #46

#56
Susan \ud83d\udc1d Botello- feel the warmth of your comment. Whatever decision we make it is mostly a guess with varging degrees of certainty. Also, same decision shall have different consequences depending on the issue we are considering. If the system or issue is complex. Same decision will have different results than if it was simple or complicated. In complex system a decision is a trial and is subject to error and this is the way for us to learn and adapt. I am disussing this issue in my next buzz. For the first time a buzz of mine has more views on LI than beBee. In fact more than double. On LI it has so far more than 4120 views. Did I know or expect ir? Surely not. Just one example of when to publish is a guess. That is why I care now to write a buzz hoping the readers will find it useful. Apart from this I have nlo control. So I publish regardless of the possible number of views. This is one example of no matter what how cautious we are we have no control on the outcome. Just enjoy the moment by reading great comments such as yours.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #45

#54
Cyndi wilkins- yes the integrity of balance in our minds and bodies is amazjing. Didtort the balance in one and the whole system reacts. Your example of homeostasis is an example of stabilizing feedback. There are also types of reinforcing feedback. Our bodies have both types. You have a great point in referring the damage we have in our bodies and the damage we cause to the environment. Yes and nature is our tutor. It has the experience to how to react best to such situations. We can see this in an innured tree and how the tree rescts to such damage. You open my mind to n÷w possibilities.

Cyndi wilkins

منذ 6 سنوات #44

Interesting you should use the metaphor of the 'root system' to describe the network of all living things being interdependent...as maintaining a healthy root system is dependent on integration and proper balance of all it's functioning parts, so too are we humans our own bodily gardeners cultivating good health through the process of homeostasis... If areas of our body and/or mind are repeatedly assaulted with injury or neglect, there will be a dying off in that area of the system sending off a signal to the entire network of an imbalance in need of assistance to help restore proper flow to the affected branch...a process responsible for the development of chronic disease if left unattended. Maintaining the health of the body has become even more daunting as we are living on a planet with an unhealthy ecosystem caused by our own overuse of pesticides and chemicals that have created a dysfunction in the natural order of things...Mother Nature will most assuredly survive...and if we begin to pay more attention to helping to mend the damage done...inside and out...perhaps we will too.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #43

Cyndi wilkins I need your wisdom.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #42

#51
Proma \ud83d\udc1d Nautiyal. It is our perception. Yes we involve our hearts in making decisions. But with the healthy perception we may influence our hearts. We have no ability to predict the future or control it. However we may increase the probability of it being delightful by thinking and feeling positively today. This way we may attract the future to us.

Proma Nautiyal

منذ 6 سنوات #41

I completely agree, Ali \ud83d\udc1d Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee. It makes a lot of sense to focus on the present to bring out the best in us instead of worrying about the future. One way I perceive it at least try to perceive things is that if there is something worrisome (probably) lying in the future, then why worry now and lose the chances of being happy in the present moments. However, being human, it is an extremely difficult task to thing so sensibly, all the time. After all, the heart ends up making most of the decisions, most of the time. So, in this case, I have learnt a second thing. Only think of positive things, what we think we can make.ot happen. Positivity never goes unanswered. So if we are happy all the time, if we find silver lining in everything, life and God will both bless us for being so grateful.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #40

#48
change of perception has two directions Franci\ud83d\udc1dEugenia Hoffman, beBee Brand Ambassador the perception towards him may feedback to the perception of the child to the world or it may not to a great extent. Surely a child is still developing and he is not immune to the perception of the world towards him. He might be victimized. But at the end of the day I agree with you Franci it is our perception is the determining factor. Do you agree?

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #39

#46
yes indeed John Rylance. By changing the environment the child got exposed to different perception by his class mates and teachers. We have now new agents and the result could be totally different

John Rylance

منذ 6 سنوات #38

I think I should have said perception rather than perspective. A possible answer to your question is seeing someone in a different environment. When I worked with children experiencing behaviour problems often if we moved the child to a different school (afresh start) they would improve their behaviour, while in our opinion remaining the same child, what changed was the perception of them by those around them. We called becoming the child they wanted to be rather than the one they have become. #45

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #37

Now the big question John Rylance because you mentioned her in your comment

John Rylance

منذ 6 سنوات #36

#39
Franci I feel regarding change sometimes it isn't the thing that changes its your perspective of it that changes. How often do people say they see something in a new light.? The proverbial "light bulb" moment.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #35

#42
that is exactly why I felt proud to be mentionecd next to her

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #34

#39
thank you for ykour quote of Maya Angelou Franci\ud83d\udc1dEugenia Hoffman, beBee Brand Ambassador. By comparing what I wrote with what Maya said is an honor on its own for me my friend. Iam flattered. I wonder how old was Maya when she said that. I couldn't have said mine earlier.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #33

#39
thank you for ykour quote of Maya Angelou Franci\ud83d\udc1dEugenia Hoffman, beBee Brand Ambassador. By comparing what I wrote with wgat Maya said is an honor on its own foe me my friend. Iam flattered. I wonder how old eas Maya when she said that. I couldn't have said mine earlier.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #32

#37
Every time you comment my pride in being connected with you dear friend Edward Lewellen multiplies. I love the way you related the observant effect to life and science. Planning for the future- whether voluntarily or forced on a person distorts the future and its beam of light turns into a particle. Your examples are nourishment to the soul and heart my friend.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #31

#35
sweet comment even it tells a sad story Jerry Fletcher. Simple, but to the point and speaks our reality.

Jerry Fletcher

منذ 6 سنوات #30

Ali, My apologies for not having time to come at this at length. My short but, I hope sweet, comment is that too often humans try to deny the fact that we are part of an evolving ecosystem. Now, Mother Earth is beginning to flex her muscles in response to our stupid ways. Fires, Tsunamis, Earthquakes, Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Famines, Blights, all at the same time are pretty good indicators that something is out of whack.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #29

Thank you dear Milos Djukic for sharing the buzz. Greatly appreciated

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #28

Tha k you dear Milos Djukic for sharing the buzz.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #27

#31
I wonder if you hsd the time to read the great comments here dear CityVP \ud83d\udc1d Manjit in particular. Reading this part of your comment "much of social communication is not often developed with a holistic view - instead it is part of the parts" I find it resonating with my previous comment. I absolutely agree with you. If not, I shall be contradicting myself. 🎃 Another wisdom nugget in your comment is "There is also a fear of being misunderstood or not seen as capable when the reality of diversity should be a greater appreciation the whole". Yes, we lack synergism for exactly the reasoning you give. Your comment deserves reading many times to respond adequately to it.I thank you also for sharing the buzz.

CityVP Manjit

منذ 6 سنوات #26

If I cause offense it may often be due to me not level setting to the level a particular person see's their world. Often I have become comfortable with abstraction and conceptual thoughts and do forget that diversity is the reality. Beginners mind is one facet but not grounding myself with topics that are open and more big picture, can lead to a conflict of interpretation. Just as the person who seeks a rational and concrete explanation grounded at the level of practice may only see that part, much of social communication is not often developed with a holistic view - instead it is part of the parts. We think that if we optimize what we know, anything that challenges what we know does not fit the picture of how we see the world. This is not an inability but a specific competency that we may not have learned to see. There is also a fear of being misunderstood or not seen as capable when the reality of diversity should be a greater appreciation the whole. Everyone actually does make a worthy contribution to the whole, but look how dismissive we are of workers, despite all the talk of whole systems and the importance of embracing diversity. Our response to offense can itself be specific and linear, and not accord with adding to the whole. Once we are thinking from compartmentalized viewpoints, we are hitting walls that divide understanding - and so level setting comes into play. The anger within the offense often stems from a far different place than the actual argument being presented. So it is we become mindful.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #25

#29
first let me tag Sara Jacobovici. Your comments here send my mind in different directions. I am asking myself this question. Termites build towers collectively that is far greater than any single one could do. It is the many in one that enable them to do so. We humans tend to think of self mostly. We are more like sand grains. Each grain is strong, but doesn't stick to other grains. We sink in sand. We need to think in the interest of others to big towers and not sink in our own sand. We have the choice to think individually or act collectively. You wrote "We do have that choice but if we refuse to recognize that 'choice', we are then choosing to live with unrealistic expectations and despite all evidence to the contrary". Are our expectations self-centred or community centred to get rid of our fears, greed and selfishness. I am surely writing my next buzz on these discussions.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #24

#27
Great understanding on your part Sara Jacobovici. Yes, whatever we do influences the environment and in turn it influences us. We have the choice on what kind of influence we may exert on the environment. If I want to give an example of what you mean I would suggest the exchange of comments on this buzz. We are influencing each other and we are improving the environment in which we hold these discussions. We see our interdependence in understanding the issue and "so we shape the consequences of our behavior". We may not know exactly the outcome, but we may improve its chances of being a better one.

Sara Jacobovici

منذ 6 سنوات #23

Great post and great discussion Ali \ud83d\udc1d Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee (#18) says, we make choices. Predicting an outcome is difficult because we don't know the influence each choice has on that outcome. We don't have a choice as to the environment in which we come into the world, but we do have a choice of staying in that environment or moving out from there. Being aware, being able to understand how we engage in our interdependence, understanding that each behavior serves a purpose and so will shape the consequences of that behavior, all this and more, provides us with more control than any other life form sharing the world in which we live.

Joyce 🐝 Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee

منذ 6 سنوات #22

#25
And hopefully, that change is for the better. I agree.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #21

#23
You remind me of Joyce \ud83d\udc1d Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #20

#22
Great synopsis my dear friend Edward Lewellen. This comment is a buzz on its own.

Joyce 🐝 Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee

منذ 6 سنوات #19

I dwell in the future far too often.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #18

#19
We are spreading fear, greed, conquer and divide and anger and we expect things to become better. You are very wise in your analysis Pamela \ud83d\udc1d Williams. We need to consider the future by acting wisely NOW in the hope that a great future will emerge for our children. No question asked. The probability this would occur is greatly reduced by our actions today that base themselves on fear, anger and the rest of the negative feelings we create for others. In two lines you said it Pamela ""Divide and Conquer"! How old is that military philosophy that has been adopted in all areas of our lives. We're dividing, our 'fungi' warning system is breaking down strand by strand until we will all stand alone, mistrust so prevalent that there will be more enemies that friends in our mind's eye".

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #17

#18
What a great and lovely expansion of thoughts dear Pamela \ud83d\udc1d Williams. You are so deep and so observant. I love the idea, but not the fact, that we are "Our networks, our human connections are breaking as we turn inward. Our 'fungi' that send out warning signals are not communicating like they used to, but Why"? The world is shrinking and the paradox we are dividing it instead of mining the opportunities it provides us with. Yes, we look down at algae even though they are our network of communications. The self-centered interest is shaping our world and leading it astray. With the self-centered approach we may kill, do the unthinkable and be egoist regardless of all ill consequences. Harvey Lloyd- I am sure you have your authentic thoughts here..

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #16

#15
You remind me again of the Requisite Variety: The greater the variety within the system the stronger it is. The more we create different versions of ourselves, the stronger, resilient and antifragile we become.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #15

#15
You know Harvey Lloyd that I agree fully with you on this comment. Yes, our curiosity is kept if we don't know ourselves and thus keep on exploring ourselves and the world. It becomes a habit. I runs in our blood and we become addict to it. This is what gives life its meaning. To live is to wonder and explore.

Harvey Lloyd

منذ 6 سنوات #14

#14
The “impossible dream” is the motivation of human experience. To explore myself as an ever changing dynamic is the dream. If it were possible to know myself completely i would lose the motivation. So i agree it is impossible but yet is the reason we exist and explore. Many make the very poor assumption that they do know themselves completely. At this moment of conception, exploration stops and preaching begins. No longer can i explore myself through another but can only lead others to the rabbit hole i have ventured. The rabbit hole is a very confining space and one i am content let them stay within, without me. Keep dreaming. (Avoid rabbit holes)

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #13

#13
Your wisdom and understandings are simply great Harvey Lloyd. You know Socrates said "Know yourself". Is it possible to know self or is it an impossible dream? I tend to lean towards the latter option.

Harvey Lloyd

منذ 6 سنوات #12

#11
This concept is one that is very challenging for me. Husbands and wives, great friends and close family spend a life time attempting to know each other. Yet in a single post i may read i can sum the nature of another human. Anger used to be the response but have moved on to realize that pity is a better way to view this summation. I know that tomorrow i will read yet more greatness from writers such as yourself while the one who sums up character in their comments will be stuck in the cycle, with themselves for a life time.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #11

#10
Thank you Harvey Lloyd for your lovely sharing of the buzz.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #10

#9
Thank you dear Harvey Lloyd. You know well that our thoughts may go in a trajectory that a small change in the initial positioning of our thoughts might send us in totally different trajectories. You might be writing a comment when suddenly your remember a relevant case. Your initial thoughts have changed positions and your comment goes in a new trajectory. As authors you know well that we too are affected by the slow change in our thoughts. I experienced this many times. To know exactly the initial position of an author is simply not possible even for the writer himself. Reading this line of your comment affected my thoughts considerably. I mean "In other words my behaviour is driven by the context of my environment while your behaviour is a character flaw that needs attention". That is why your last two lines are superb. I am going to go about my business of writing. I am enjoying the experience I am getting from the feedback comments. I am a product of my environment and with whom I am interacting. I may adapt, but still will continue to do what I love doing. having said that I paused at length on your line "I don't believe we can sum up character within many posts, we can probably do well to understand the area or situation from which the writer writes". yes, I fully agree as long as we don't assume we know the exact position of where the author stands. We know the boundaries, but not the exact position within those boundaries. Deep thoughts my friend.

Harvey Lloyd

منذ 6 سنوات #9

Taking a hard look at self awareness and the consequences of the life experience. Join the discussion.

Harvey Lloyd

منذ 6 سنوات #8

Ali \ud83d\udc1d Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee some very dynamic thoughts that shape the human experience. If i could i would like to pick up on the previous post metophor and the comment that took offense. First i can see how in the literal sense we could take offense. But would like to dig a little deeper and discuss why we would. Melissa Hughes posted a video that i was unable to find. I will paraphrase a comment she made. When i observe you within a behavioral context your have character issues, but when i view myself i see situational context, not character. In other words my behaviour is driven by the context of my environment while your behaviour is a character flaw that needs attention. I dont believe we can sum up character within many posts, we can probably do well to understand the area or situation from which the writer writes. Having stated this i would submit that when folks take offense, in many cases, the writer has touched on a character issue the reader finds confining. In this, the comment will reflect a character issue the reader sees within their own reflection and let the writer know about their character flaw. To bring this back to the context of your post, when we view nature it is nice to see the bee going about its business with no consideration of character with the snake, dog or pony. The bee exists in harmony.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #7

#5
Thank you for contributing a sound comment Donald \ud83d\udc1d Grandy inspire me with the idea of my next buzz. It is centered around "Fascinating examples of emergence in complex systems".

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #6

#4
Great comment dear Savvy Raj. Simply, I concur in full with your astonishing comment. Thank you also for sharing the buzz.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #5

#3
There are new researches that claim plants communicate for a purpose. The main point I am stressing here regardless of whether plants think or not we are dependent on them as they are part of our ecosystem. What happens to them affects us dear Debasish Majumder. Emerging properties are not limited to humans. We see it in fish schools, in sand dunes and in flocking birds. Thank you so much for your sharing the buzz.

Donald 🐝 Grandy PN

منذ 6 سنوات #4

Great post Ali. I agree with comment regarding predicting the future. If predicting the future were possible, we would already be extinct. "Next week, the world is ending." And in the next week's paper, they said, "We were miraculously saved!. Lower your anxiety and live the day. Or better yet, help someone else live a better day.

Debasish Majumder

منذ 6 سنوات #3

i guess, plants or bees cannot think and make any predetermined efforts unlike us. we may beckon our own jeopardy, but on contrary, we can also have the potentials to resolve our impending problems. fear never engulf us. however, nice insight sir Ali \ud83d\udc1d Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee! enjoyed read and shared. thank you for the share sir.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #2

I agree 100% with you David Navarro L\u00f3pez. Yes, we tend to wear our luck shirt, but this is assuming luck strikes our door twice. As for your writing " But I resist accepting both extremes of this paradigm, that is, not everything is random, and not everything is the "logical consequence" of something else out of my understanding". Absolutely correct and that is why we have the phenomena of emergence. It is something that appears all of a sudden and beyond our expectation. This is a story on its own my friend.

David Navarro López

منذ 6 سنوات #1

To your challenging question "If we can’t predict the future then why do we worry about it?" I would say because we can't help it. Our brain always needs a "logical" explanation for the facts, and, if there isn't any, will "invent" one. This is when superstition or conspiration theories are born. One day you buy lottery or gamble in a casino, and you win. There is no explanation of it, but you will from then on wear "your lucky" t-shirt, the one you were wearing when this happened. For the same reason, we tend to believe that everything is interconnected, and we could conclude that in many cases, it is, even if we are not capable to see and understand these connections. But I resist accepting both extremes of this paradigm, that is, not everything is random, and not everything is the "logical consequence" of something else out of my understanding. We have the need of looking at the future, or else, we would stay where we are and not be progressing. But in the mean time, I agree we need to live the present, because only there action can be taken.

مقالات من Ali Anani

عرض المدونة
منذ 3 سنوات · 3 دقائق وقت القراءة

Are Ideas Measurable?

Last week I exchanged comments on the title of my post “Ideas Stock Markets”. The discussions center ...

منذ 3 سنوات · 3 دقائق وقت القراءة

Layering of our thoughts

The Golden Circle of asking questions is well-known. This circle consists of asking three basic ques ...

منذ 3 سنوات · 2 دقائق وقت القراءة

A Wrong Question to Ask- Which is greater fear or love?

Three events urged me to write this post. The first one triggered me to write the draft. The second ...

المتخصصون ذوو الصلة

قد تكون مهتمًا بهذه الوظائف

  • Norwegian Refugee Council NRC

    Education Project Manager

    تم العثور عليها في: DrJobEn JO A2 - منذ يوم

    Norwegian Refugee Council NRC Amman, الأردن

    Line management for project staff · Adherence to NRC policies, guidance and procedures · Contribute to the development of Country, Area and Core Competency (CC) strategies, initiate and participate in the development of relevant CC projects · Coordinate and manage Education-Host ...

  • Social Impact, Inc

    Capacity Building Specialist

    تم العثور عليها في: DrJobEn JO A2 - منذ 6 أيام

    Social Impact, Inc Amman, الأردن

    Social Impact (SI) seeks a senior-level MEL Capacity Building Specialist to provide technical and managerial leadership for MEL capacity building and CLA uptake across the ART mechanism. S/he will propose innovative MEL capacity building, CLA and knowledge management (KM) methods ...

  • origami

    iOS App Developer

    تم العثور عليها في: DrJobEn JO A2 - منذ 4 أيام

    origami Amman, الأردن

    Designing and building mobile applications for Apple's iOS platform. · Collaborating with the design team to define app features. · Ensuring quality and performance of the application to specifications. · Identifying potential problems and resolving application bottlenecks. · Fix ...