PinnedEnabling coherent explore spacesThe difficulty of complex thought is that it must face messes … interconnectedness among phe- nomena, fogginess, uncertainty, contradiction. (Edgar Morin, On Complexity, 2008: 6) I have written before about the need to embrace messyness. Specifically to shift from seeking alignment and neat categories to messy coherence (or coherent heterogeneity…Complexity16 min readComplexity16 min read
Jan 30ChatGPT doesn’t quite get complexity (at least not according to Einstein!)Update: Before reading on, a warning. ChatGPT creates references out of thin air and presents them with great confidence as factual. You cannot trust a reference provided by the bot, you HAVE to double check. I found non-existant papers attributed to real authors; real papers attributed to the wrong authors…Complexity8 min readComplexity8 min read
Nov 11, 2022WaitingThere are about 10 unfinished blog posts that I try to avoid seeing every time I open my laptop. Every time I sit down to write, I end up with half-finished paragraphs. …Writing2 min readWriting2 min read
Apr 20, 2022Crossing thresholds.“Everywhere I go, I find a poet has been there before me.” — Sigmund Freud Anyone who reads my blog probably knows that I have a love for Celtic poets. One of my favorites is John O’Donohue. …Ritual6 min readRitual6 min read
Apr 8, 2022Re:Membering the futureThe future used to be synonymous with dreams, exciting new things, and bucket lists. Yes, it was always uncertain, and I always knew many of the things I dreamed about probably wouldn’t become a reality, but it was energising to plan for “one day”. Now, thinking about the future, I…Hope3 min readHope3 min read
Mar 12, 2022Finding hopeIn these dark times, when it feels like the world is coming apart at the seams, I find hope in a deep knowing there is still beauty in the world. That somewhere dolphins are jumping just for the joy of it. That birds are singing to welcome the morning. …Hope2 min readHope2 min read
Feb 11, 2022Reflections on resilience & adaptive capacity.I have been revisiting some of my older blogs and came across a series I wrote several years ago on resilience. I am blessed with a very diverse network, which includes, among others, many thought leaders and scientists in the field of social-ecological systems. While most of my work is…Resilience2 min readResilience2 min read
Jan 29, 2022The messy and beautiful “And-ness” of every day lifeI have been fascinated by complexity** for 20 years. Complexity is a term that elicits pretty diverse responses. For some (like me) it evokes interest and curiosity. For many, it describes something to be avoided, simplified, or preferably ignored. Yes, being in complexity can feel messy, overwhelming, and confusing. But…Complexity4 min readComplexity4 min read
Dec 11, 2021Escaping the tyranny of our shoulds.The point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer. Rainer Maria Rilke This post has taken a very long time to write. I have been wanting to post a…Complexity5 min readComplexity5 min read
Sep 8, 2021Thoughts waiting for a thinkerTo be “present” in the “here and now” and see what is there with fresh eyes is a notion that philosophers, poets, and spiritual teachers across various cultures and traditions have explored for centuries. Here are a few examples: “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the…Mindfulness5 min readMindfulness5 min read