Where the Paradigm Shift Begins
(Chapter 5)
As we’ve discussed so far, there is a universal self‑organizing process that underlies reality; its essential behavior can be described by nonlinear network dynamics and can be observed in the human body. Human self‑awareness functions as one node within Earth’s wider self‑consciousness. The linear, control‑oriented model we built for survival has served us well; but today’s digital, chaotic, unpredictable, and hyperconnected world exposes its limitations. What’s needed is a paradigm shift that realigns our brains, bodies, and the networks we inhabit with the creative process that produced us. We therefore examine the brain-body network to locate the root of our disconnection and how we can reconnect through practical cooperation between left and right hemispheres and by cultivating embodied practices that bring cognition, physiology, and attention back into phase with universal, nonlinear patterns. What we learn from the body network—both as a metaphor for nonlinear networks and as a living system—scales from the personal to the social to the planetary.
When we investigate how the domination of linear logic functions in the human body, we gain deeper insight into the linearity of human behavior. As a nonlinear network, our body has a power law distribution in terms of energy distribution, control, and consumption. This can be seen in how although the brain accounts for only 2.5 percent of the whole body’s weight, it has dominant control over the whole body and it consumes more energy per gram per second than any other organ in our body, making it the main hub of our body network. The function of the hub is crucial for stability, sustainability, and robustness of the whole network when it participates in nonlinear relationship with the rest of the network. When the brain and body subconsciously synchronize, they engage in self-organizing behavior. This synchronicity allows us to perform any task with deep simplicity and minimal effort.
However, consciously, the domination of left-brain linear thinking illusively separates ourselves from the universe, it illusively separates the brain from the body network as well. Driven by self-assertiveness and short-term gain, the linearly-minded left-side brain implements linear relationship between it and other members of the body network when linear thinking dominates instead of the cooperation of the left- and right-sides of the brain. And as a result, the brain often maintains and entertains itself at the expense of the rest of the body, prioritizing entertainment, habits, liability management, and control. Our brain can be so shortsighted that it does not realize that its own long-term sustainability is connected to the wellbeing of the whole body network, not just its own. To satisfy our brains’ short-term desires, we consume more than we need, and we suffer the consequences later. In this way, we see how linear thinking also leads us to exhibit a similar tendency toward other members of the web of life, including plants, animals, the Earth itself, and even other humans. We divide each other into genders, races, nations, and separate beliefs; and instead of cooperating and utilizing asset management with the whole network to achieve optimum synergy, we focus mostly on differences and liability management, rather than recognizing shared values, inhibiting the human network from reaching our ultimate collaborative potential.
The body network is a whole organism made up of many subnetworks (respiratory, circulatory, immune, central nervous, muscle, skeletal system, etc.), which are all cognitive systems according to Santiago theory. Though it is another part embedded within the overall network, the domination of linear thinking has led us to believe that the brain is the only member of this multi-system cognitive network. For instance, we tend to view the heart only as a pump; but the heart is another center that perceives information through gut feeling and intuition. We tend to ignore the heart’s potential beyond its mechanical functionality, along with the potential of other participants within the body network, though they are collectively creating our perception of the universe. This perception of members of our body network performing in limited ways leads us to ignore perceivable relationships amongst the various nonlinear systems that are part of a greater cognitive network.
The brain is a self-organizing system. Once we start observing our actions, thinking, and habits with systemic thinking, relationship, and values, those observations act as a self-organizing feedback system. By consciously participating in this feedback system, we will be able to overcome the dominance of linear perception to synchronize our left- and right-sides of the brain. Throughout history, peoples around the world have traditionally used ceremony, ritual, various meditation practices, and plant medicines to synchronize the left- and right-sides of the brain. By shifting the domination of the left-side to a cooperation of left- and right-sides, we will eventually sync the whole brain with the whole body network and fully optimize the potential of our brains in a way that is in sync and harmony with the greater networks we are a part of. After our brain goes through this process of observation and the self-organizing process that results, the brain will reconnect with this inherent, universal, self-organizing process that orchestrates our universe. And the result will be a more efficient brain and a more healthy body, and we will become mentally and physically more sustainable.
The paradigm shift starts within our brain: by shifting from the current paradigm of domination via left-brain thinking to cooperation of right- and left-brain, we will eventually shift from the over-prioritization of liability management to models based in asset management and the cooperation of left- and right-sides. This is the root of our linear dominated disconnect, this toxic attachment to liability management. But when the brain, the most influential hub of one’s individual body network, shifts consciously from linear-bias to participating with nonlinear behavior, from liability management to asset management, it starts a chain of influence that permeates throughout and realigns the entire body network with the universal self-organizing process that already exists within the body. And from our individual body networks this paradigm shift will spread to any network that we are participating in at any scale.
So how does this shift spread beyond the individual body network?
If we look at the Earth as a network, human beings are the hub that uses the most resources of the Earth and has the most domination over the rest of the inhabitants of the whole network, even though we are but a small portion of the entire network of our planet. Like any hub of any network, when acting with linear perception and relationship, it causes unsustainability of the whole network. But by shifting to a systemic relationship, we will bring sustainability to the whole network of Earth.
If we look at the whole human network the majority of the human network is not living within circumstances where they can think beyond their daily needs for survival; and with our current need for systemic solutions, there is but a small percentage of the human network that is leading humanity with domination, violence, hate, and unwavering blame. This linear dominance is offering short term solutions by dividing and consuming the whole network’s greater potential.
There is a network of people who are already aware of this and experiencing it intuitively and applying it in their daily lives. Systems Philosophy offers structures of support based in emerging sciences that are proving the necessity of this shift they are already participating in.
Also among the human network there is a population that has a level of access to education, technology, and resources that they are able to be a part of the worldwide network of intellectuals, who are capable of coming up with systemic solutions to these global challenges. Within this network there are spiritual thinkers, systems thinkers, and environmental activist networks, who recognize that we are in an emergent period necessitating a paradigm shift. Among these networks, there are leaders who can organize themselves as a self-organizing network to synchronize their assets (knowledge, connections, experience, expertise) to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts, and enrich and simplify systemic solutions and accelerate the popularity of their application and guide us through this paradigm shift the human network is going through together. Eventually this knowledge we develop will become an essential part of the collective consciousness of the human network and our planet—but only if we learn how to work cooperatively within and among our networks to create a whole that is greater than the sum of our otherwise separated networks. Continuing to operate in our separately branded silos will spell our doom as a species.
When we look at the global network of nations, the domination of the linear model is creating a whole that is less than the sum of its parts. There are several countries and country networks that act as hubs in our global systems, such as the US, the EU, and China. When these hubs of the global network participate linearly, this accelerates the current unsustainability, and so the shift from liability management to asset management must begin with these hubs because of their major influence over the whole network.
As one of these hubs, the United States serves as a model of a powerful, industrialized, democratized nation for the rest of the international network. With its current linear approach, the US is acting as an inefficient hub within the nation itself and abroad; and its short-term gain policy and actions are negatively affecting its own citizens and the rest of the world. In this way the US is also a model of how the short-term gain of domination and competition is inhibiting the whole network’s ability to build a hopeful future.
Within the US, its citizens are dogmatically divided by binary political factions (liberal vs. conservative, progressive vs. traditionalist, etc.) and misinformation, viewing value systems that are different from how each individually identifies as the enemy, thus amplifying defensiveness and inhibiting cooperation. This counterproductive division is modeled by its political representatives as well, as one party (of essentially a two-party system) achieves something for the benefit of that party’s fixed values and certainties, and the other party then goes and undoes whatever its counterpart instated. This “undoing” does just that—reverses any action or attempt at progressing towards the values and goals of either party, leaving no possibility of continuity within the political system, as each party is focusing on their differences rather than shared values, and countering the other’s progress towards any kind of policy change. This linear relationship greatly reduces the political network’s overall potential, and creates a whole system that is less than the sum of its parts, as is the case when hubs in the body act similarly linearly.
As we observe the global economic systems, we see several elements that are showing signs of limitation and an inability to sustain as the stock market is currently modeled on gross consumption. This gross consumption model is reaching limitations in terms of Earth’s resources that support it and our linear expectation for its ongoing growth. Additionally, we are seeing a dramatic decline in the spending power of the population that is responsible for 70% of consumption, the middle- and low-income populations. As uncertainty in the stock market economy increases in this emergent era, money is rapidly shifting from the middle and lower populations to the minority of the highest earning population, increasing the inequality gap. This is happening as the rapid rate of change in technology (such as artificial intelligence, gene therapy, 3D printing, etc.) is simultaneously leading to the elimination of service and manufacturing jobs across industries, which all in combination could bring social unrest and further division.
Though the linear perception that has developed out of linear thinking is reductive and arguably an incomplete model of our universe and any nonlinear network within it, the process of us developing this left-side, judgmental thinking has not been a wasted effort. Through this process we not only developed an awareness of the domination of this model (as we are speaking on it now), we also created detailed knowledge of how this self-organizing process works universally. And in this way, this detour can be observed as a necessary step in the expansion of consciousness for the whole human network.
One of the most powerful properties describing this shared simplicity of self-organizing networks is universality, as it allows the familiarity of one network (such as the human body) to lead to an understanding of the properties of any other network at scale. Now that we are able to become aware of this process as self-organizing, our next step is for us to move beyond our exclusively linear, liability-based perspective and apply what we have learned from our observations of the human body to develop systemic approaches to our current challenges. And we can do this by focusing on solutions we are capable of implementing by acknowledging, sharing, and synchronizing our assets.
The systemic approach equips us with nonlinear perception, allowing us to create systemic solutions by acknowledging that we are participants in this greater, emerging, self-organizing process. With nonlinear perception we are able to redirect our fixed focus from liabilities to the appreciation of the assets we’ve achieved thus far. If hub nations were to shift to a nonlinear approach by aiming for long-term gain by investing in (and expanding) their assets through cooperation and partnership between currently competing systemic structures, this would facilitate newfound certainty by permitting new uses of established industries and technologies. Instead of focusing on one-upping each other, they could each find their place within a nested system that is working together for a greater whole. By synchronizing our actions and assets, we will be able to more easily and creatively participate in this inevitable, emerging process and become conscious participants who are in sync with the systems larger than ourselves.
As one would not favor a map that purposefully leaves out life-saving waypoints, we are updating our understanding of our mapping of our universe, planet, and ourselves in order to traverse further through human history with greater collective ease. Guided by an AI system based in the self-organizing process, we could develop policy that is qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated and continuously verified based on how closely the individual parts of networks are performing with nonlinear values. This AI system could provide guidance for all systems at all scales, and help manage any organization by reevaluating, reorganizing, and then reallocating its assets to perform more efficiently as an economically and ecologically minded entity. It could also guide linearly separate systems and industries currently competing through various models of planned obsolescence and sync them to focus on assets and resources that are in regenerating demand: clean energy, clean water, clean information processing, and clean food. Such a feedback system could be used to guide individuals, larger organizations, and even guide the stock market towards more sustainability and certainty. It could potentially also be used to hold our political representatives accountable in their adherence to the guidance of the greater system.
Consider the US Department of Defense and Intelligence Community as a hub within the government network’s assets, as they collectively consume a significant portion of the US government’s total annual budget. Collectively, this defensive hub is made up of many of our most intelligent and highly trained personnel, people of discipline and of high physical and mental ability creating the world’s most advanced technology and devising and implementing advanced strategy throughout these defense-driven sectors. But as the US continues to invest in defense technologies and use this technology to dominate other countries, the government is not directly netting a return on its investment. As this hub performs with linear relationship to the rest of the system, each individual is taking on the high cost of high-stress environments involving combat and domination mentally, emotionally, and physically, which they each then must grapple with to some extent when they leave their work environment and re-enter their familial networks at home. In this way, this hub within the US government is not performing at its highest potential for its members, nor is it performing efficiently for the nation as a whole or as a part of the international network.
However, with a shift towards systemic relationship, if the defensive hub were to introduce the information and technologies to entrepreneurs of national and international markets, it could gain a return on its investment and eventually pay back the government’s deficit. This convergence of innovation could also bring certainty to the stock market during this uncertain time by permitting the public the use of these technologies and thus financially incentivizing further development of such tech. Instead of “sticking to our guns” and fighting this inevitable accelerating rate of change by limiting our use of our highest technological achievements exclusively to defense, this would allow for these achievements to be used for advancements focused on improving assets beyond just our defense systems. The intelligence and discipline of those whose careers are currently being used to defend assets via war could be applied towards building a better world, and those currently profiting from war-making could profit from peace. The profit from taking this tech to market could then be used to invest in finding solutions to domestic challenges, improving social services, and creating a sustainable cycle of life-supporting systems, rather than one that is fueled by violence and conflict.
This would change the US from a hub of linear modeling into an emergent, model nation of systemic relationship to the rest of the world. As we are witnessing a rapid change of intensity and frequency of severe weather and natural disasters around the world causing major disruptions and migration of people from south to north and east to west, this currently defensive hub could be mobilized to focus on finding and implementing solutions to these challenges. By shifting to systemic values of cooperation, we can use our assets of intelligence, discipline, and technology that this hub possesses to focus on the development of resources in regenerative demand. This would allow this hub to develop models of sustainable, green cities in countries that have been destroyed by war, and then use this modeling to scale to systems around the world.
This is but one example of how a hub within a government can work more systemically and efficiently to serve its citizens and the world. Just imagine: when the military network of the world becomes self-aware of their assets, will they continue to fight and suffer the consequences of warfare? They may realize how we humans have invested so much time, money, and intelligence into technology we never wish to have to use (e.g., nuclear weaponry); and then they might choose, rather than fight and compete, to apply these assets to systemic relationships of peace and build a more sustainable world.
Footnotes:
Santiago Theory: cognition is the process of life itself, not merely information processing. In the view of the physicist Fritjof Capra, the Santiago theory of cognition is “the first scientific theory that really overcomes the Cartesian division of mind and matter” and “for the first time, we have a scientific theory that unifies mind, matter, and life.”
