Emergent behavior is the part that trips up most flow diagrams because it only shows up after the fact. You can map the stocks and flows you know about, but the new ones that appear once the system is running are exactly the ones a static diagram will never predict.
Thank you for sharing this. It is an insightful read. Only one feedback - In some places, you have jumped from one example to another. It would be great if you could dive deeper into one or two examples and explain each part of the system in the next pieces. Thank you š
Incredible project and stack. I have enjoyed Donnella's work since 2008, when Thinking in Systems came out. Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful insights.
There's a particular kind of pain that doesn't come from strangers.
It comes from the people closest to us. The ones we trusted most. The ones who were never supposed to be capable of hurting us like this.
A partner who broke a promise. A parent who chose someone else's side. A friend who repeated the secret you told them in confidence.
Betrayal from someone you love cuts deeper than almost anything, because it isn't only the act itself. It's the disbelief underneath it ā the quiet, aching question: how could you, of all people, do this to me?
For a while, you try to make it make sense. You replay it, you look for reasons, you wait for the apology that would put it all back together.
But here's the hard truth.
You can't love someone into treating you well. You can't explain your pain so perfectly that they finally understand it. And you can't keep giving the benefit of the doubt to someone who has already shown you what they'll do with it.
There's really only one thing to do.
Believe them.
Not the apology. Not the excuses. Not the version of them you'd hoped was real. Believe what they actually did ā because that is the truest thing they've ever told you about who they are.
Believing them doesn't always mean cutting them off ā sometimes it's a boundary, sometimes distance, sometimes even repair. But it always means you stop shrinking the betrayal to make it easier to carry.
Because the moment you believe them, the power comes back to you. You stop waiting on their guilt or their permission to move on ā and you start deciding what comes next. Who stays. Who doesn't. And on what terms.
You didn't choose what they did to you. But everything that comes after is yours to
What a brilliant article! Youāve touched on some really important issues, especially in todayās world. I think we need more interconnectedness instead of just accumulating, as this feels like a truly meaningful way forward.
I write about Deep System design,Engineering, tech, how to build things in tech at a deeper level, AI/ML inference, Benchmarks, LLMs and How to Quants, please checkout some of my posts ( more than 370000 reads)Ā -
[Important AI Inference Pulse #4] KV Cache: The One Piece of Memory That Can Eat an Entire Expensive Chip ā Just By Remembering- How It Actually Works
just keeping the balance in every thing we do is important, the flip side is itās not easy as it sounds to keep the flow rates in equilibrium. However, yes this mindset helps in understanding more to achieve the equilibrium.
It's not just flows. It's also emergent behavior, -- new flows, and new stocks, if you will -- that make this complex
Yep, systems can be hard to work out but a basic understanding of the elements, feedback loops and flows can help.
Iām certainly going to be looking into more complex systems in the new year to better my understanding.
Excellent! Howard Odum - you're probably familiar bc of Meadows.
Also check Binyamin Lichtenstein, "Generative Emergence"
Emergent behavior studies has been the "undiscovered country" for a few decades now š
Emergent behavior is the part that trips up most flow diagrams because it only shows up after the fact. You can map the stocks and flows you know about, but the new ones that appear once the system is running are exactly the ones a static diagram will never predict.
Every week I teach business operators and investors the fundamentals from those who who know bestāthose with real skin in the game.
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Great!
Thank you for sharing this. It is an insightful read. Only one feedback - In some places, you have jumped from one example to another. It would be great if you could dive deeper into one or two examples and explain each part of the system in the next pieces. Thank you š
Same feedback šÆ
Its all great till someone asks you to get to the point
Very interesting.
Incredible project and stack. I have enjoyed Donnella's work since 2008, when Thinking in Systems came out. Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful insights.
There's a particular kind of pain that doesn't come from strangers.
It comes from the people closest to us. The ones we trusted most. The ones who were never supposed to be capable of hurting us like this.
A partner who broke a promise. A parent who chose someone else's side. A friend who repeated the secret you told them in confidence.
Betrayal from someone you love cuts deeper than almost anything, because it isn't only the act itself. It's the disbelief underneath it ā the quiet, aching question: how could you, of all people, do this to me?
For a while, you try to make it make sense. You replay it, you look for reasons, you wait for the apology that would put it all back together.
But here's the hard truth.
You can't love someone into treating you well. You can't explain your pain so perfectly that they finally understand it. And you can't keep giving the benefit of the doubt to someone who has already shown you what they'll do with it.
There's really only one thing to do.
Believe them.
Not the apology. Not the excuses. Not the version of them you'd hoped was real. Believe what they actually did ā because that is the truest thing they've ever told you about who they are.
Believing them doesn't always mean cutting them off ā sometimes it's a boundary, sometimes distance, sometimes even repair. But it always means you stop shrinking the betrayal to make it easier to carry.
Because the moment you believe them, the power comes back to you. You stop waiting on their guilt or their permission to move on ā and you start deciding what comes next. Who stays. Who doesn't. And on what terms.
You didn't choose what they did to you. But everything that comes after is yours to
What a brilliant article! Youāve touched on some really important issues, especially in todayās world. I think we need more interconnectedness instead of just accumulating, as this feels like a truly meaningful way forward.
Thank you Huyssen. The article is probably even more relevant today than it was 18 months ago.
Nice one. Great to connect with you.Ā
I write about Deep System design,Engineering, tech, how to build things in tech at a deeper level, AI/ML inference, Benchmarks, LLMs and How to Quants, please checkout some of my posts ( more than 370000 reads)Ā -
https://howtosystemdesigneverything.substack.com/
https://aiinferenceandoptimizations.substack.com/
[Important AI Inference Pulse #4] KV Cache: The One Piece of Memory That Can Eat an Entire Expensive Chip ā Just By Remembering- How It Actually Works
https://aiinferenceandoptimizations.substack.com/p/important-ai-inference-pulse-4-kv?r=14q3sp
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Thatās why I teach mindmapping ā because of the power and psychology of associations, patterns and programming.
just keeping the balance in every thing we do is important, the flip side is itās not easy as it sounds to keep the flow rates in equilibrium. However, yes this mindset helps in understanding more to achieve the equilibrium.
100% agree itās hard. Thatās entropy for youābut understanding flow rates can hopefully help regain some semblance of balance.
An excellent, mind-bending and very educational read. Thanks for sharing. šš½
https://substack.com/@ryanlaneuctit/note/p-175884270?r=62kent