In this third episode, we'll talk about why complex problems are solved by complex systems. But first, let me share with you a story.
Recurring Dream
I've been having this recurring dream. It's a soothing and comforting dream, and I've been having it for two years now. From this dream, I learned how to live. It's a dream of new beginnings. It's a dream of hope.
The Cataclysm
I'm at home, looking out the window. At first, I feel at peace, watching the blue sky. Then suddenly I start to grow hot and uneasy. The sky shifts from clear blue to green, then yellow. At that point, I know something is wrong.
The heat presses down on me. I go outside. I look up and see a small point in the sky—this time is not a nuclear bomb, it's a huge boulder coming from a volcano. It draws closer and closer until I can see it its shape in the sky. I know what's about to happen.
People start leaving their houses too, but they're not my neighbors. They are everyone I love: my partner, my children, my parents, my friends. We all stand together, staring at the sky as it the bomb is on top of us.
The boulder falls nearby and a series of new boulders fills up the whole sky. I know I will not survive. Neither will the people around me. None of us will. This time, I don't try to run toward the people to give one last hug, one last goodbye, because I've given them hug and told them I love them in real life. I am ready for what's about to come.
This time, there is no panic. I welcome my own death.
The Void
I am now in the familiar darkness and silence.
I only float in emptiness. I exist, and nothing more and I am able to enjoy it. I stay in the void for what feels like a very long time. Time doesn’t exist there. I remain until nothing matters anymore. It feels soothing and comforting.
Eventually, my awareness stirs. I know I need to come back. A dot of light appears in the distance. It grows brighter, larger, pulling me toward it. Closer and closer.
Suddenly, I wake up.
The Cabin
I'm now in the small rustic wooden cabin. I feel déjà vu—as if I’ve been here before.
A fire burns. A man sits in front of it, in an armchair, his back turned to me.
Without looking, Argoss greets me:
"Are you are tree?"
"I could be tree," I say.
"Do you know about trees?" he asks.
"I do know about trees," I reply.
Then he says:
"You think you know about trees, but you don't. You don't know about trees until you take a closer look at it's roots. You also don't know about trees until you see the whole forest."
Fear rises in me and I cross the room to open the only door.
The Pod
And then I'm in the pod.
As I arrive in the room, Lidia greets me:
“Is society a city?”
"It could be," I say.
"Do you know about cities?" she asks.
"I do know about cities," I reply.
Then she says:
"You think you know about cities, but you don’t. A city is not its buildings. It is the invisible connections between people — the exchanges, the flows, the networks. Without connection, a city is only ruins."
And then—I wake up.
The meaning
This dream changed my life because it made me accept death. I know I am not eternal, and that I could die tomorrow. So then I live my life with this in mind. And instead of it being paralyzing, it's liberating. I say what I mean more. I do what I want more. I only have one life. This is not a video game where I can go back to the last checkpoint. And being alive is a pretty nice gift, if you ask me. The world is amazing and beautiful. I have a life full of opportunities. This dream that was so scary is now a reminder on how to live.
So the cataclysm was different again. From a meteorite to an atomic bomb to a volcano, but the end result was the same.
We think we know ourselves, but we don't
We confuse familiarity with understanding
I remembered the cabin this time, and how Argoss told me I didn't know about trees. The analogy here is important. To know a tree, you both need to know about its roots and its forest. But what does this analogy apply to?
I remembered the pod too, and how Lidia told me I didn't know about cities. The analogy here is important. To know about a city, you need to know the connection between it's inhabitants. But what does this analogy apply to?