Timothy Wilken, MD writes: All ‘whole-parts’ in ‘space-time’ have substance and form. The substance is ‘matterenergy’, and form is the ‘order’. Order is relationship—the pattern, organization and form of that ‘matter-energy’. Jules Henri PoincarÈ explained in 1908: “Science is built up of facts, as a house is with stones. But a collection of facts is no more a science than a heap of stones is a house.” It is the order, pattern, organization, form and relationship of the facts that make a science; and the order, pattern, organization, form and relationship of the stones that make a house. An understanding of this concept of order—pattern, organization, form and relationship; and its compliment concept disorder—patternlessness, disorganization, formlessness; and relationshiplessness that is essential to a full understanding Universe. Understanding order begins with understanding pattern. … Our human bodies are constantly being torn down and rebuilt. The ‘order’ of our bodies is the result of what Fuller calls the pattern integrity. The design for this pattern integrity is contained within our DNA. Our DNA holds the blueprint for the manufacture and remanufacture of our bodies, and this process is a continuing one that never stops from conception until death. It is process that allows for growth and repair of injuries as well as recovery from illnesses. Within in any ‘whole-part’ order can be increasing—increasing order is called syntropy, Or, within in any ‘whole-part’ order can be decreasing—decreasing order is called entropy. Or, within in any ‘whole-part’ order can be stagnant—order that is not changing is called atropy. Syntropy, entropy, and atropy are encountered in Universe as the result of synergy, adversity, and neutrality. … It now appears, and this is argued by both Lancelot Whyte and George Land, that entropy and syntropy exist at every stage of process. Although entropy predominates in ‘dead’ Universe — light, particles, atoms, and simple molecules, syntropy exists there as well. And while, syntropy predominates in ‘live’ Universe — complex molecules, plants, animals, and humans, entropy exists there as well. The entropy phenomenon has been studied for over one hundred years, while the syntropy phenomenon is only now beginning to attract the systematic attention due to as far reaching a phenomenon as this. In Nature, syntropy is the force towards unity. Syntropy exists within our bodies and minds. This is what gives birth to our humans having the greatest potential in Universe. If we are to develop our potential, we must understand synergy. Understanding ourselves will require that we understand ‘wholes’. And while the understanding we have gained from examining the ‘parts’ — from our reductionistic science — has been indeed powerful, it is helpless to reveal the greater truth about ourselves and our Universe. …  In the co-Action table of possible relationships, it is important to be mindful that the minus signs represent loss(of order)and not negative integers. The plus signs represent gain(of order) and not positive integers. And, the zeroes represent states of no change (of order), rather than an integer with no content.  (06/04/05)
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James Howard Kunstler writes: It’s a measure of our country’s desperation that many hopes among US government officials are pinned to the just-completed 1000-mile oil pipeline between Baku on the Caspian Sea and the Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean. The idea is to get oil from Kazakhstan on the far eastern side of the Caspian sea through several other former Soviet states, bypassing a shorter, older route through the Black Sea, and creating an alternative to the ongoing horror show of the Persian Gulf. The main problem is the idea that the American economy, and the easy-motoring lifestyle that holds it hostage, will now depend on a 42-inch wide oil pipe running through nations fraught with Muslim-Christian conflict on top of post-Soviet gangster politics. The good news is that the $4 billion pipe is buried underground so it will not be vulnerable to the small arms so abundant in that part of the world: shoulder-launched missiles, rocket propelled grenades, or .50 caliber bullets. The bad news is that it is only a few feet underground and can still be blown up by five pounds of Semtech strapped to a donkey. Also, the pipeline traverses some of the most rugged terrain in Asia Minor and presents many opportunities for mischief. Another problem: Kazakhstan is right next door to China. China needs foreign oil as desperately as the US does. Nothing prevents China from commandeering Kazakhstan’s oil, by means ranging from legal contracts to Chinese soldiers on-the-ground. That logically raises the question as to whether America would entertain a land war with China over landlocked Kazakhstan, 12,000 miles away from here. What would you say our prospects would be in such a venture? The Russians might have some interests there, too, not necessarily identical to ours. World War Three anyone? (06/04/05)
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Trust is a central ingredient in human relationships, and thus, in organizational dynamics. At its root, trust is interpersonal; it exists in some state between two people. Within a group, interpersonal connections multiply exponentially. Even within small groups—whether families, teams, or small organizations—these connections become multifold, complex, and interdependent. Within symphony organizations, the quality of a wide range of interpersonal relationships—especially between and among formal leaders and their close colleagues—depends significantly on the degree of trust that exists in these relationships. The aggregate status of “organizational trust,” in turn, strongly influences the cohesiveness and effectiveness of the institution. … Conditional trust is a state of trust in which both parties are willing to transact with each other, as long as each behaves appropriately, uses a similar interpretive scheme to define the situation, and can take the role of the other. In conditional trust, attitudes of one party toward the other are favorable enough to support future interactions; sufficient positive affect and a relative lack of negative affect reinforce these attitudes. Unconditional trust . . . characterizes an experience of trust that starts when individuals abandon the “pretense” of suspending belief, because shared values now structure the social situation and become the primary vehicle through which those individuals experience trust. With unconditional trust each party’s trustworthiness is now assured, based on confidence in the other’s values that is backed up by empirical evidence derived from repeated behavioral interactions—knowledge of which is contained in each individual’s attitude toward the other . . . when unconditional trust is present, relationships become significant and often involve a sense of mutual identification. (06/04/05)
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