Comlexity
& Emergence
This is what it’s all about!
We have been so immersed in the notion that the body is mechanical or machine like that we can’t see the forest for the trees. How is it that the things we learned as infants and toddlers stay with us throughout our lifetime? It’s because we learned them in a way that aligns with the way efficient behavior emerges in nonlinear complex adaptive systems.
Start with this series by Systems Innovations - this is an amazing free resource on many related topics as well!
So we aren’t like machines - what ARE we like then? Other things made by Mother Nature who loves a pattern! This is also an important aspect of biotensegrity. Take a look at this 7 minute video to take a closer look at patterns in nature and see the resonance.
This TedTalk moves us into the concept of Emergence - how something emerges seemingly out of the blue, like a new vocal possibility. Learn how ants self-organize as a small world network as an example of emergent properties - just like how the internet was born.
Here’s a TedTalk about Complex Systems that will be a bit of a bird’s eye view (get it? Like self-organizing starlings in fight?).
Meet Neil Theise, author of “Notes on Complexity.”
Theise’ day job is as a liver pathologist at NYU. He’s also a Zen Buddhist with a worldwide platform on complexity.
His new book will help you build an understanding of how the quantum foam and subatomic particles self-organize into atoms, which self-organize into molecules…cells…species…communities…cultures….
He is also an amazing speaker. This is a rabbit hole to go down and try to reach the bottom. It’s a rich one.
Below is an interview with Deepak Chopra following the release of his book. You can find a lot of podcasts with him as well including “Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown,” “Armchair Expert,” and “You Are Not So Smart.”
Neil is also a Broadway fan and loves Sondheim! I had the pleasure of working with him in a 5-day full body dissection in 2022 and we got really nerdy about Sondheim and our mutual adoration for Ann Morrison, original star of “Merrily We Roll Along.”
