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I Cried; Others Died
What happens when we refuse to acknowledge the impacts of our actions
Yesterday I cried. That is, as much as my stoic self would allow in these forlorn times.
What would you shout from a mountaintop in the aftermath of an attack on our Capitol? Outrage, fear, grief? Your despondency? An intimate knowing of unsurprise?
My shout is oddball. I want people to understand how change really happens. It is literally killing us not to understand.
“Wake up!” I would shout. “What you do always matters. In ways you may not know.”
The true nature of change
We are often taught that change happens according to an if-then statement. If I let go of the ball I am holding, then it will fall to the ground.
But in complexity (and most human systems are complex), I can’t be so sure about the then. If, as a young child, I break my brother’s toy, then what? Does he retaliate by breaking one of mine? Start crying? Run to mom to tattle in hopes I’ll be punished?
My brother’s response may depend on factors unknown to me. Maybe the toy was special for a reason I am unaware of. Maybe he was bullied in school that day. Maybe he’s hungry and tired.
