USF Outline
OUTLINE
- We can understand the system, and our community, as a pattern of flows. Flowing through the system is energy, materials, nutrients, information, knowledge, wisdom, entertainment, emotional support, belonging and contributing. These are the things that we humans value and therefore, I am using value as the generic term for those flows. The goal of the story is a way that every member of the community - and every species in our ecosystem - are contributing value to the flows.
- Civilization is a structure composed of bridges that we use to direct the flow of value. We could say connections, bonds, relationships, agreements or contracts for different ways that value flows between humans. We use bridges in the sense of structure where an exchange of value between two humans creates a bridge, the volume of the exchange determines the width of the bridge and the duration of the exchange determines the strength of the bridge. Civilization is the sum total of all the bridges each of us chooses to maintain. Poverty results from the inability to maintain adequate bridges - not producing the value necessary to maintain the required bridges - and the system's inability to obtain the value that those people could have contributed is a waste of human potential.
- Creative destruction - expanding choices - diminishing choices - increasing opportunities - decreasing opportunities - upward spirals - downward spirals. Market limitations - systems to complement the market.
- We also maintain bridges with the ecosystem - Environmental degradation - permaculture - waste of biological potential
- People will live in poverty until such time as we have systems of production in which everyone can contribute value and thereby maintain adequate bridges into the value flows. The environment will be at risk until such time as humans obtain what they need and desire through systems of production that cooperate with natures processes - enhancing diversity rather than diminishing it.
- We are awash in information. When we are able to assimilate information into our understanding of how the world works, we call that knowledge. Some of us are more knowledgeable than others. When our knowledge is accurate, and we are able to predict how a particular choice will play out in the world, we call that wisdom. Some of us are wiser than others but I do not think any of us can be satisfied with where we are but, it is also said: "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." What can of world do we want?
- Growing from birth to death
- If we are going to create a future conducive to human life, we must first understand how the system functions. Next we must understand that we create the future with every choice we make. Finally, we must set about creating those choices that will lead to an inclusive and abundant future.
- Nothing exists that does not depends on the existence of something else for its own existence. One thing is always dependent on another thing and all things depend on everything else. All things are systems and ultimately there is only one whole system. So we cannot change one thing without affecting everything else. We cannot solve problems one at a time because they are systemic.
Back to Understanding System Function
