How to teach and understand complexity

You know how interconnected our world is.
You know that keeping multiple things in mind at the same time is a vital skill.
You want to have an impact, and contribute to this world, and leave it a better place.

You know that you can’t do it alone.
You want to tell others about what you see…
but everything is so complex… so where do you start?

My heart and mind are always trying to figure out
how to explain the state of the world to others.

During lectures and lessons, I often have limited time and space, trying to build an understanding that is stable enough for others to want to, and dare to, explore on their own.

When my students feel inspired and tell me that “you opened my eyes” and that they will carry my lessons with them for the rest of their lives, I take that as a proof that I have figured out something.

If you are a parent, teacher, coach or just a citizen of the world who want to make this world a better place, you are dealing with complexity in some way or another.

The most common way to deal with this complexity is to break it down — remove parts, ignore perspectives, simplify, create an abstract framework, or simply tell an incomplete story. A short post or video on social media, trying to get some form of attention.

We always try to break it down.
The only way to swallow an elephant is in pieces, as the proverb goes.

What if there is another way?

Is there another way to “swallow an elephant?”

If we were giants, an elephant might be nothing more than a simple snack.

Instead of trying to cut the elephant to pieces…
what if we became bigger, and could swallow a larger chunk of reality?

Is there a way of see, notice, and talk about more layers of reality?

I say yes — by noticing all the things that are being ignored.

Right now, you are ignoring a lot of information that is reaching your brain:
the sensation of your clothes on your skin, the sound of the computer humming in the background, the tension in your finger from holding your phone, or whether it is hot or cold.

If you didn’t ignore this information, you would be overwhelmed.
But it is also here that part of the solution lies.

The amazing John Vervaeke points out that:
“You are intelligent because of everything you ignore”

Combine that with the quote that, I believe I first heard from James Burke — though it may originate from elsewhere: ”People are who they are because of what they don’t know.”

What we notice and what we ignore is a combination of evolution, interest, and education.

We can’t do that much about our biology, but our interests and ability to see more than what appears on a test, are in our power to change.

So how can you get someone interested in talking about something they haven’t noticed?

What happens when you start noticing the layers you usually ignore?

Let me bring your attention to outside.

Look at a tree. If you can’t see a tree… well,
consider moving or doing something about that.
Now close your eyes and imagine looking at the same tree.
What do you see?

Leaves?
Flowers?
Branches?
Do you see roots?
Do you see insects?
Do you see birds and animals?
Do you see movement from the wind?
Do you see the internal flow of water, carbon, sugar and nutrients?

Depending on whether you’re interested in physics, chemistry, biology, zoology, forestry, carpentry, art, poetry, or photography — your interest will guide your attention, and you will notice different things.

All of these layers are true.
All of these layers are valuable.
All of these layers contribute to the tree.

We know what a tree is. We have all seen a tree.
But have we really taken the time to see all the layers of a tree?

To box it in, define and simplify, we look for one quick answer.
And when we find it, we move on to the next question.

But the longer you look, the more complex something becomes.
This is true for everything.

Look at anything long enough, deep enough, and
the layers will reveal a complexity previously ignored.

Teaching complexity — don’t settle for 1 answer

Notice, in the example of the tree, we didn’t cut it down in order to see all these details.

I pointed them out. Just like adding lenses to a monocular, each lens influences the image… and you will see something different each time you look through it.

We haven’t broken things down in the traditional sense.

We’ve highlighted different layers, and focused on what is typically ignored.
By looking through all these layers at the same time,
we can view complexity in a new light.

Do I pretend to have revealed all the layers here? No.
And that humility is important to keep in mind.
There are always more layers to consider.

All it takes is looking a little longer, and opening up the conversation to more than one answer.

Another example…

I can ask a simple question: “How big is the sun?”

You might go to NASA’s website and learn that it is 1.4 million kilometers in diameter.

Does that mean that we’re done?

Why did you think it was enough to consider the diameter of its fire?
Why not looking at the diameter of its heat? Or light? Or gravity?

I ask again: How big is the Sun?

You might argue that’s not what is meant by the question.
No — not in the traditional sense.

Here, I ask you to ignore the tendency from school to only look for one answer at the back of the book.
Don’t rush it. Understand that there are always more layers.
Even if you don’t see them yet — know that they are there.

Use this when having conversations or classes about our complex world.
Illustrating that there are more than one answer, opens up the curious question:
“How many more?”

Remember — we teach complexity by adding layers, not by breaking things down.

How not to be overwhelmed

There are always more layer to everything around us. And noticing these can feel overwhelming and paralyzing. You don’t know what to do… or if you have missed anything.

If you experience any of this, remember: there are no “things” in Nature.
A noun is a product of grammar, not Nature.

Trying to transform life into language is what makes you feel overwhelmed.

When looking at a picture, you don’t scan each row of pixels, you take it all in.
When listening to music, you don’t name all the instruments, you just listen and dance.

You already know how to handle many layers. We all do.
Sometimes we just need someone to show us what we’ve been ignoring.

Look again. And again. And again.

Talking to others about complexity has a time and a place.
With the right circumstances, you can change someone’s life.
In the wrong setting, you might alienate yourself and feel lonely and frustrated.

It takes time to paint a picture.
It takes time to see more layers.
We teach and talk about complexity by adding layers.

The good news is that you don’t need to learn this. You only need to practice it.

Asking the right questions to spark curiosity and,
not settling for a single right answer, is how you teach complexity.

Tell whoever you’re speaking with:

More layers are not scary.
More layers don’t mean you have been wrong.
More layers simply mean that the world is more wonderful than you thought.

With practice you’ll be able to look at a tree, a city or a person… and not feel overwhelmed.

Instead, you’ll be humbled by how much you see, and how much more there is to explore.

Only a fool thinks they have all the answers.
Know that there are always more layers to explore.
Take your time to truly gaze into the depth of reality.

So look around you — what do you see?
Now look again.

Want to learn more about me and how I teach complexity,
send me a DM on LinkedIn.

Make a great day!
Until next time!

Daniel - The Talking Bridge

Ps: Music motivation: “Little Blue” by Jacob Collier