Connected Wisdom: Living Stories about Living Systems
Tales adapted for SEED by systems educator Linda Booth Sweeney
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There is a lot of talk these days about how everything is connected to everything else. Most of the time these connections are hard to see. But we now know that the kind of car I drive in Boston, Massachusetts, may affect the health of polar bears in the Arctic. Whether they’re found in nature, your body, your family, your organization, or your country, these interconnected networks are called living systems. Living systems are all around us. When you work on a SEED project—for example, a water project—you are deeply engaged with many living systems, including your local river, canal, lake, or watershed, as well as your school and community.
Why learn about the laws of living systems through folktales? Folk wisdom—whether it comes from the myths and tales of ancient Greeks, early Africans, fifth-century Chinese philosophers, or Buddhist masters or from the sages of Native American and other cultures—has long been a way to pass on wisdom from one generation to the next. Many folktales and myths, including those in Connected Wisdom, were used by the ancients to explain and understand the physical world around them.
We invite you to explore, through timeless folktales and modern examples, how the principles that guide living systems can also guide how we live and learn. Connected Wisdom contains twelve folktales from around the world that have been adapted to illustrate the different principles influencing how nature works. The book is available in seven languages, including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish, from SWPS and the SEEDSTORE.
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Introduction
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Interdependence
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Living Cycles
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Systems Integrity
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Waste = Food
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Biodiversity
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Balancing Feedback
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Cooperation and Partnership
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Reinforcing Feedback
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Rightness of Size
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Nonlinearity
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The Commons
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Earth Time
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Appendix A: More Principles of Living Systems |
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Listen to Connected Wisdom
SEED collaborated with Linda Booth Sweeney and storyteller Courtney Campbell to record all 12 folktales, with adapted explanations of the related systems thinking. The CD is available in English only from SWPS and the SEEDSTORE. Catch a sneak preview of one chapter from the Connected Wisdom CD.
Submit Your Own Stories
As you read Connected Wisdom, you will become familiar with the living systems principles that the folktales illustrate. Are there folktales from your culture that may also bring these systems ideas to life? Read on to find out how to download an invitation to submit your stories.
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Learn More about Living Systems
What else is there to learn about living systems? Find out by browsing the pages of the SEED Web site. Each time you see this symbol, information on that page relates to living systems. Click on the icon to find more details on the relationship between what you are reading and living systems!
