Political weather changes
How refreshing is the sunshine of a warm smile when compared with the hate-filled hail of slander from the alternative. Kamala Harris offers a better prospect than Donald Trump any day.
Alexander Hopkinson-Woolley
Systems
I was reflecting recently on how useful ‘Systems thinking’ has been in my life. It’s a way of analysing things, a ‘big-picture’ approach. I’m originally a Systems-trained social worker, and I later studied Systems as part of an Open University degree.
I used Systems methodology regularly while I was working as an information analyst for the ambulance service.
The basic definition of a system is a set of components connected for a purpose. Components don’t have to be things, they can also be processes and activities. Pictures and diagrams are used to understand how the components of a system interact, and where improvements can be made.
Pretty much anything can be viewed as a system. It works best with human-made systems, but can also be applied to natural systems like the climate and biological organisms.
Human-made systems include things like machines, the built environment, transport systems, industries, food production, utilities, health and education systems, governments, armies, even religions – anything that humans create or organise.
In Systems thinking, a revealing question to ask about a system, component or process is to ask: ‘What is it for?’ – in other words, ‘What is its purpose?’
So looking at Quakers as an organisation, you could ask: ‘What is Quakers for?’ Or looking at silent worship as a process, you could ask: ‘What is silent worship for?’
I’m not suggesting there is a single answer to these questions, but I think they are worth asking.
Martin Coyle
