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Connected

By 18 July 2022No Comments

Connected

The theme of this newsletter is connecting. The character Qi has three basic characteristics: exchanging information, moving and… connecting. Everything around us is connected. There are no separate parts. And I too cannot see myself outside and apart from the people, animals, plants and things around me. Even though sometimes I think I am alone, not connected. But that is only a thought.

I can NEVER be separated from the rest of the universe. And from those connections, new, emergent qualities spontaneously arise. Emergent comes from the Latin word for “to surface”. And that is exactly what happens when multiple objects connect. For example, “life” is an emergent property that just happens to emerge from a certain degree of organisation, just like “consciousness”. And another emergent property of a healthy, self-organising system is “sustainability”. Therefore, as a company or organisation, you cannot have sustainability as a goal, but sustainability is a natural characteristic of your organisation, when it is healthy and self-organising. And also sustainable in all areas of your organisation.

Connection is therefore essential and everywhere. A dynamic connection that is. Otherwise there will be stagnation, which ultimately leads to stasis, causing balances to get out of balance and to reorganise themselves into dynamic connections. Exactly as it is described in the classical Chinese medical and philosophical texts.

Studying is therefore more than just acquiring new knowledge. It is also connecting with this knowledge, making it your own and making it a natural part of who you are. It is also connecting with your fellow students and teachers so that the knowledge becomes alive and can grow and provide new insights. A network that grows out of the connection between students into a partnership between colleagues for the rest of your life. And with which your knowledge grows with your colleagues. Education is a connecting and growing, living process. For students, former students and teachers alike.

That is why it is good that the corona measures are easing and that we can meet each other in person again. That is a completely different experience of connecting than through a screen. Something that also connects, but can never replace the real touch.