THINGS WORK WHEN WE ARE MINDFUL OF HOW PARTS FUNCTION AND RELATE AS A WHOLE.
The core of a functional approach is computation—evaluating the functions of all parts.
-
Key traits:
-
Uses immutability (functions can’t change once created).
-
Relies on pure functions (same input always gives the same output).
-
Emphasizes pathways. Scenarios are planned in advance. A situation is read, a response is calculated, and a function is selected to execute it.
-
It's easy to get locked into thinking that improvement can only come from making individual parts function better.
But no matter how well we understand how those parts function, we can never fully anticipate all that will happen when they relate as a whole. Not even AI can do that to the point that all things become certain.
-
Emergence: When parts combine, they create new functions that do not exist in the individual parts.
-
Nonlinearity: Small changes in the beginning can lead to massive, completely unexpected results later. This is called the butterfly effect.
-
Complex Interactions: As the number of connections between parts grows, the total system becomes too difficult to calculate fully.
-
Information Limits: We never have exact data on every single starting condition or outside force.
Examples
-
Water Molecules: Knowing how a single H₂O molecule acts does not let you predict the exact shape of a splashing wave or ice crystals without seeing the whole system.
-
The Brain: You can study a single neuron, but you cannot predict a specific human thought or memory just from that piece.
-
Weather: We understand air and heat, but tracking every wind current to predict rain weeks away is impossible.
When we are not mindful of how functional parts relate as a whole, we experience uncertainty as an immediate threat. This can trigger:
-
Fight-or-flight response: We try to control what is happening or escape from it. When someone isn’t functioning as we expect, we may see them as threatening our control, leading us to fight or withdraw.
-
Catastrophizing: The mind repeatedly imagines worst-case scenarios and treats those thoughts as facts.
-
Hypervigilance: We feel jumpy, struggle to concentrate, or constantly scan our surroundings for signs of danger.
-
Exhaustion: Over-preparing, checking, and worrying drain our emotional and physical energy before anything happens.
No matter how much time, money, or technology we invest in making individual parts function, the whole will eventually fragment if we fail to notice and anticipate the small adjustments needed to keep all parts connected as a whole.
The ability to anticipate comes from reading the relationships between the parts of the whole, not from knowing how individual parts function.
Insight comes from the relationship of the whole, not from a reduction to the parts.
The whole is not the sum
of its parts. It's the
relationship
between them.
We make things work by staying mindful of how each part is functioning and relating as a whole, and anticipate the adjustments needed to keep everything working together.
We feel how all parts of the body connect as a whole. Add awareness of everything around us. Relax into an alert awareness of all the connections; feel the space and step into a dance, a contest of anticipation. And enjoy!
Adult - League - @ Longdean (23)
Thu 05 Dec
|Hemel Hempstead
Adult league players learn how to win the moments when a tough competitor is overwhelming established systems of play
Time & Location
05 Dec 2024, 21:00 – 22:00
Hemel Hempstead, Hill Common, Hemel Hempstead HP3 8JH, UK
Guests
About the event
League-level and Mixed
16+
It is at Longdean Sports Centre.
https://goo.gl/maps/fuLVP231RfcRCvXo6The entrance is not via Longdean school. There is a separate entrance that you can only find by just putting the post code in - HP3 8JH - off Hill Common. The easiest way is to use “What3Words” and they are ///guard.forks.fries
16+ - Mixed - League Level - club and no club players are welcome. If you are not sure if you are league-level, just come down and watch, start off with an all-ability session, or contact the help centre.
Tickets
Lets play ball
We are a social enterprise. We use all profits to give those who are excluded or vulnerable to social exclusion a free experience of playing sports and games where everyone set's each other up to succeed. Where everyone constantly imagines other ways. Where everyone uses mistakes to find what is next and grow. Experiences to build a belief that they are not stuck as they are now. Thank you. Contact jon.thorne@LifeSkills21.club to get a free ticket
£7.50
Sale endedPay what you want
Please, don't let a lack of money stop you from coming. We are a social enterprise. Or, pay more as a donation.
Pay what you want
Sale ended
SkillsofWow.org is the governing body for those who coach the skills of Wow.