Thanks Steve. This is great analysis, especially your point that Israel exists because of this complex system and yet also cannot fully achieve its goals because of that system. And if I'm reading you correctly, frustration itself is part of the necessity of this world. The complex system prevents the worst of the worst from happening (or at least it should unless a cancer grows too powerful). But it also means that the best outcome for any given party won't happen because that would also disrupt the system. My one question to you is whether you think this is changing? I know, you can't know the future, but are feedback loops being disturbed such that "cancers" can grow and will end up disturbing or maybe destroying the world balance that has existed since the end of WWII.
A complex system is always changing, with the system residing on the edge of chaos. There are definitely feedback loops that threaten the current global balance, namely aggressive countries and leaders who engage in violence to advance their political agenda. And there are more of them than there has been at any time since the end of the Cold War, which is why we have to be vigilant.
You got me thinking as I have recently begun to training to become a Bee Keeper. 🐝 One thing that that I learned in the classroom is there are many paths to hive death … disease, wasps, mice, wood peckers, a weak queen, etc … it’s brutal. An important thing about Bee colonies is their tribalism and outsiders are treated brutally. Hive A does not care about Hive B. Hive A and B can coexist side by side, sharing outside resources, but if resources become scarce, they will fight. Bees use pheromones to identify which hive they belong to and generally don’t enter the wrong hive. Guard Bees protect the hive from outsiders (foreign bees, wasps, etc) and keep out non-members. Apparently strays bees occasionally do get past the guards and get adopted, it does happen. But if too many show up, it’s a threat, there will be a war. So, looking towards insects to understand complexity of life, it narrows the idea of who and how to have a good life.
Thanks for sharing the bee perspective. It also fits the model. Note that the wars aren't planned from the top but happen at the local level. The stray bees getting through is part of the randomness of the system. As long as the level of randomness stays low, the bees seem to be okay with it, which is what the theory expects. I wonder if scientists have found a beneficial function of random foreign bees making it into the colony. I doubt they are stealing any coveted jobs. It sounds like the way countries tolerate low-level immigration but if it becomes to prominent, you get the emergent phenomenon of pushback.
I agree with you, though, being a bee isn't my cup of tea. Doesn't sound like much fun, especially if you are one of those bees if you just work until you die!
You are correct! Those guys just hang around until their big moment if/when a swarm happens so they can attempt to mate. One of the bee keepers big jobs is to prevent swarms and losing bees (one technique is to kill larvae queens before they develop).
Genocide is still taking place tribally if not nationally. For example, in Africa the Totsy tribe recently has been wiped out and in Malaya inter-religious warfare is trying to do a similar kind of thing. And we are not analogous to an ant's colony.
I agree genocide is taking place in parts of the world, which are emergent phenomena that hurt the system. It has gotten better overall since 1945, but still far from perfect.
Thanks Steve. This is great analysis, especially your point that Israel exists because of this complex system and yet also cannot fully achieve its goals because of that system. And if I'm reading you correctly, frustration itself is part of the necessity of this world. The complex system prevents the worst of the worst from happening (or at least it should unless a cancer grows too powerful). But it also means that the best outcome for any given party won't happen because that would also disrupt the system. My one question to you is whether you think this is changing? I know, you can't know the future, but are feedback loops being disturbed such that "cancers" can grow and will end up disturbing or maybe destroying the world balance that has existed since the end of WWII.
A complex system is always changing, with the system residing on the edge of chaos. There are definitely feedback loops that threaten the current global balance, namely aggressive countries and leaders who engage in violence to advance their political agenda. And there are more of them than there has been at any time since the end of the Cold War, which is why we have to be vigilant.
Hi Steve,
You got me thinking as I have recently begun to training to become a Bee Keeper. 🐝 One thing that that I learned in the classroom is there are many paths to hive death … disease, wasps, mice, wood peckers, a weak queen, etc … it’s brutal. An important thing about Bee colonies is their tribalism and outsiders are treated brutally. Hive A does not care about Hive B. Hive A and B can coexist side by side, sharing outside resources, but if resources become scarce, they will fight. Bees use pheromones to identify which hive they belong to and generally don’t enter the wrong hive. Guard Bees protect the hive from outsiders (foreign bees, wasps, etc) and keep out non-members. Apparently strays bees occasionally do get past the guards and get adopted, it does happen. But if too many show up, it’s a threat, there will be a war. So, looking towards insects to understand complexity of life, it narrows the idea of who and how to have a good life.
I’d rather not live like a bee!
Thanks for sharing the bee perspective. It also fits the model. Note that the wars aren't planned from the top but happen at the local level. The stray bees getting through is part of the randomness of the system. As long as the level of randomness stays low, the bees seem to be okay with it, which is what the theory expects. I wonder if scientists have found a beneficial function of random foreign bees making it into the colony. I doubt they are stealing any coveted jobs. It sounds like the way countries tolerate low-level immigration but if it becomes to prominent, you get the emergent phenomenon of pushback.
I agree with you, though, being a bee isn't my cup of tea. Doesn't sound like much fun, especially if you are one of those bees if you just work until you die!
All bees work until they die! They do take breaks and sometimes faff about. I’m really enjoying my new hobby 🐝
I thought the male drones get to laze about on the couch all day
You are correct! Those guys just hang around until their big moment if/when a swarm happens so they can attempt to mate. One of the bee keepers big jobs is to prevent swarms and losing bees (one technique is to kill larvae queens before they develop).
Oh dear, I’ve become a bee bore.
Genocide is still taking place tribally if not nationally. For example, in Africa the Totsy tribe recently has been wiped out and in Malaya inter-religious warfare is trying to do a similar kind of thing. And we are not analogous to an ant's colony.
I agree genocide is taking place in parts of the world, which are emergent phenomena that hurt the system. It has gotten better overall since 1945, but still far from perfect.
Spend more effort in writing accurate comments. Has the genocide got worse or better? Better means more too!
Ok, I really had to think and reread.