“We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another, unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, of fix us in the present. We are made of layers, cells, constellations.”

~ Anaïs Nin

We, people, are a system. At the human level, we consist of physiological layers and emotional layers that are all interacting with each other to produce outcomes. Because of this the human system is complex.

I think, from a Western point of view, we tend to look at growth, both mental and physical, in a linear manner:

We exercise, our muscles grow.
We study, we learn more.
We eat healthy, we stay well.

It’s why we have a pills for everything. . . (all with “side effects”).

In all complex systems there are relationships between all these layers that go unnoticed, yet equally reflect on the outcome. Perhaps it is the fault of the conscious mind that we don’t allow ourselves to realize these connections. I don’t blame it, there is a lot at work here. That is why we have complexity. The quote above is about more then just a quote on growth. It is a quote on systems and complexity.

Methods to discover the complex relationships in systems include conversation mapping (pdf created by my Systems Thinking for Business Redesign Professor Bruce McKenzie) and relationship mapping. Most often these are used by large corporations to breed and understand innovation, but absolutely have benefits to anyone who wishes to understand more about a certain complex system.

Still it is a beautiful quote that reminds us to stay human and humble. To realize we are more than we can understand, to accept that and move on. . . at least in my mind