Acceleration, Evolution, Mankind, Technology, Culture
In times likes these I need some silly happiness.
Dancing, friends, love.
So simple. So good.
Therefore I created the public PempelDisco playlist which contains the gems I have found so far in Spotify, in order to please the spirits of the dance floor.
May the funk with you.
The other day we spoke at home with our 6yr old son about the number pi. Not really in a detailed way – just mentioning that this number is useful if one wants to calculate circle related issues. We explained him also, that the number sequence behind the comma is endless… eternal so to say.
During the following evening ritual suddenly he said:
Mom, Dad – I love you like the number pi.
Since I “discovered” the VSM I can not stop thinking about the model and its implications. I will try to transduce the free schematics of Stafford Beer into the German language. It is really a pity (and an opportunity) that these insights are everything but well known in Germany. So I will help to spread this knowledge in my socio-cultural space. The point: Stop whining. Start finding. Open up for relativity. Find closures and put the pieces together, rather than trying to differentiate parts which are inherently connected to each other.
And most importantly: Do not expect to change a system by using the old tools and methods which have not worked out before. You will get the same results – temporal relief, but not an essential NEW (re-)solution of the “problem”. Actually it is about dissolving problems – and not about solving them. But it is likely not to be rewarded for that. It’s “post heroic” management. It’s about the model.
We are slaves to our epistemological imprints. If we are not aware of the long term effects of this historic development – how deeply it is integrated in our value system – then we will not be able to understand the impact of the implementation of the new model.
I think we have a choice: Do we want to be proud of our hierarchical hunter-and-gatherer structures and stay in this mess, or do we use a new way to understand the “physics” of control? Do we want to design a viable system by chance or by using the fundamental mechanics of complexity. Do we want to be intelligent?
Sometimes I need some extrinsic motivation. Or a reminder of what is driving me forward (or at least of what I am in a constructivistic way putting together of myself). But anyway – this is my ultimate list. As an alternative to cat content.
There is a lot of media attention accompanied with the Rosetta mission (And to make it clear in the beginning: IMHO it could be a lot more!). But one certain moment really struck me. And when I write ‘struck me’ I mean actually: I had the happiest of tears for quite a while ago.
But before I start my sermon I would like to show the extract of the press conference the day after the “triple landing” (Sorry if I disregard any copyrights, but I think it is “in the spirit of the inventor”).
Andrea Accomazzo (ESA Spacecraft Operations Manager):
While these NaCL enriched fluids exit my lachrymals (actually in significant amounts – yikes!) I want to write about some essential – existential – insights which are more or less hidden in this sequence.
Of course, and that has to be mentioned in the first place: How much dedication and awareness one must have to step back in a moment like this in order to make sure that the mission as a WHOLE will run properly? Humans, I can not tell you how much this inspires me in my shy hope, that there could be more then greediness and selfishness on this planet.
The PURPOSE of the mission was not to acquire “space for the nation”, “resources” or “spiritual domination”. The purpose is to answer fundamental questions (or at least acquire some puzzle pieces of the wonder of the third (or forth) filter step of mankinds development)). How do we got water on this planet? From a anthropocentric point of view an obvious ingredient in the soup of life. 😉
Therefore a multinational team cooperated for more than 20 years to do some science about this. And then the really cool thing happens: An important team member says: Ok, I do the shift AFTER the “big event”. The purpose is more important then my personal ego. Baaaam-tschakka-zulu-respect! And thank you, Stephane.
This proves also to me that humans are able to use its degree of abstraction in order to serve the higher, mutual goal. No vanity, no ego-shit.
Another point is the behavior of Andrea Accomazzo – it is about about how he transforms his responsibility as a leader to a reminder about what it means to be a team. Give props to the single one, while never forget that this mission is a mutual achievement – with a very long history, starting way before Andrea himself joined the crew. Of course I am also glad to see some unfiltered emotions – something human in this polished “selfie media reality“.
The third and last point:
Science, science, science = curiosity, curiosity, curiosity.
Let’s accelerate. The good stuff.
Or to say it with Stafford Beer: Let’s manage the variety for more exploration.
#viability