The Four Aspects

If you spend a little time looking around The Squiggle Sense blog, you will find a lot of information to think about.

There are many novel concepts, terms and abbreviations to learn. Learning them and how they fit together can at times be a bit  bewildering. Luckily,  they  fit together in a  general skema that is more accessible than you might think. Ironically, the  goal of  sharing this information with you is only partly about informing you that such concepts, terms and abbreviations exist, and are even now being studied and explored.

In addition, another integral, inextricable aspect of  our mission to help you use this information to help you, in our words, to awaken your squiggle sense. What is the squiggle sense?

We propose that everyone has a squiggle sense.  Actually, you would be hard pressed to do without it, even though you might not be aware of it ‘as a thing’ directly. While the human sense of sight is highly sensitive to hue, the human squiggle sense is highly sensitive to the existence and coordination dynamics of complementary pairs (or squiggles). That is, it is sensitive to the complementary nature, which includes a sensitivity to the complementary nature of self~other, or the complementary nature of the human being who employs that squiggle sense.

The complementary nature of the human being includes the complementary nature of the human brain~mind, and the complementary nature of  the observer~observed.

Now, this last squiggle, the complementary pair observer~observed, happens to be a major player in our modern fundamental scientific laws of both microcosm (quantum mechanics) and macrocosm (Relativity). Both of these theories rely upon observer~observed in both their formulation and application, though the same seems to be playing different roles.

In Quantum Mechanics this is codified in complementarity (the complementary nature itself) , whilst in Relativity it is manifest in the importance of the observer~observing’s ‘frame of reference.’

In our case,  we can say that observer~observing is a complementary pair comprised of two inextricable and dynamic complementary aspects is a complementary pair of coordination dynamics, one of a number of squiggles that play a major role in the theory~experiment of coordination dynamics.

The save to desktop message is:

“Now more than ever, it is crucial to study and illuminate the observer~observed and observer~observing’s role in the formation and evolution of  scientific~philosophical knowledge~wisdom that is based upon that very observation.”

In other words, the observer~observing affects not only the outcome of its experiments by such observation, but also affects what the observer~observed chooses to observe in the first place.

While this may sound like a rather rudimentary philsophical conundrum, which it could be argued that it is, remember we are talking about science here as well, our ‘hold on what at least seems to be real,’ if our senses aren’t being deceived.’

Now it begins to get really stranges: if by choice or by chance an observer~observing get’s stuck in what we call an ‘either/or’ mode, it’s observational prowess will in that case become greatly occluded, it’s senses will be deceived!

This occlusion is more or less severe depending upon what kind of life ‘experiment’ the observer~observes.

In the case where the observer~observing wishes to understand it’s own complementary nature however, either/or thinking is quite catastrophic, resulting in a waning interest in the whole endeavor! It is rendered invisible – nothing to observe, the observer moves on to a new focus of attention.

We are saying that such blindness has always been an ubiquitous threat to human enlightenment, that is occasionally transcended by individuals who, following many different traditions in as many cultures, do there best to overcome this affliction we could call squiggle sense blind in the same context as we do color blind or night blind.

How to do this? Well, one thing that is crucial is to avoid either/or thinking.

Another is to make sure we always remember to include the observer~observing’s role in our theory~experiments upon the complementary nature. This is paramount. We do this by proposing that when you study (think about) the complementary nature, with it’s complementary pairs ( ie. it’s squiggles) and its coordination dynamics, you are using your squiggle sense:

We say, “The Squiggle Sense is a sixth sense of the complementary nature.”  We say, “the squiggle sense is an observer~observing the complementary nature.”

Finally, we suppose that the observer~observing the complementary nature with their squiggle sense is an inextricable complementary aspect of the complementary nature, at least of the complementary nature of the human brain~mind.

To sum up, in theory and in practice, experientially and experimentally, we are always dealing with  four aspects:

1) the complementary nature 2 ) complementary pairs (squiggles) 3) coordination dynamics 4) the squiggle sense (observer~observing)

The picture above is one way to sum things up to give you one version of ‘the big picture’, the overview. All of these aspects are inextricable, dynamic and complementary. In TCN book we explain the relationships of TCN, CP and CD. Now we are adding TSS, the squiggle sense.

Okay, now take a look at the figure above. It is a tetrahedran, with what we call the four aspects ‘TSS’, ‘TCN’, ‘CP’ and ‘CD’ written at the vertices. Once again, TSS = The Squiggle Sense, TCN = The Complementary Nature, CP = Complementary Pairs and CD = Coordination Dynamics. In the center of the tetrahedran is the squiggle sign (~). This tetrahedral view of the four aspects is helpful because it suggests that the four aspects are  intimately related and organized as some kind of pattern integrity.

(The choice of tetrahedran was an arbitrary one by us. Whether there exists any more profound role of tetrahedral geometry  itself, as R. Buckminster Fuller believed remains an open question.)

Mainly, this view does a good job at showing possible relationships between the aspects we require ourselves to explore.

THE FOUR ASPECTS

THE SIX COMPLEMENTARY PAIRS

If each of the four aspects squiggle with the remaining three, you get six possible complementary pairs:

TSS~TCN is an abbreviation for the squiggle the squiggle sense~the complementary nature.

It says that the squiggle sense and the complementary nature are inextricable dynamic complementary aspects, which can be studied and comprehended via coordination dynamics. It says when you have one, you have the other. It says that at the least, it can manifest in one of four identifiable modes: TSS dominant mode, TCN dominant mode, either TSS or TCN (bistable) mode, both TSS and TCN (metastable) mode.

As far as we know, in the animal kingdom this particular squiggle is most highly develop Homo sapiens, though the majority of  its individuals have yet to discover it in themselves.

A current hypothesis regarding TSS~TCN is that the lack of awareness of TCN~TSS follows from a lack of awareness of the squiggle sense within themselves, which in turn implies a limited awareness of the complementary nature.

Squiggles carry with them a built in learning aide: Becoming aware of the complementary nature, (what we call the squiggle sense), automatically facilitates becoming ‘aware of this awareness’, or ‘aware of being aware’. In other words, increase in awareness of the complementary nature increases awareness of the squiggle sense. Of course, this squiggles: awareness of the squiggle sense within you increases awareness of the complementary nature.

Note that these two types of awareness are not the same:

Awareness of the complementary nature means you are aware, that you notice  those yin~yang things and processes in your day, in your life.

Awareness of the squiggle sense means you are aware that your brain~mind is doing something special in those same moments that you are noticing those yin~yang things and processes in your day.

Are these two the same? No. Can you separate them in your head, distinguish one from the other? Yes. Can you have one without the other? Nope. Can you focus upon one and ignore or exclude the other? Yes!

THE TWELVE OBSERVATIONAL STRATEGIES

THE 24 MODES

(To be continued…)



4 Responses to “The Four Aspects”

1. Dr Karen says:

   August 20, 2009 at 8:09 pm

   Thanks for this lovely structure —

   I’m hoping the continuation will give examples of how each of the Observational Strategies resembles~differs — they’re all overlapping in a very messy way in my head right now
2. doc says:

   August 20, 2009 at 11:48 pm

   Thank your for feedback. Quite so! Such examples are necessary, and are on the way, so stay tuned.

   For a place to begin, please review the sections in TCN on CP~CD that spell out CP of CD and CD of CP strategies. Look again at the examples given for each strategy. Compare~contrast the set of examples within~between strategies.

   The game will be the same for The Four Aspects. Remember, while the ‘contrary’ strategies are helpful, be careful not to try to hard to separate them in your head, for they are but two of many possible strategies that sweep out the dynamical landscape of the squiggle CP~CD (TSS~TCN, TCN~CD, etc.)

   Thus, in every case these strategies will overlap, but hopefully in a not so messy way. This is one of the challenges of pursuing the squiggle quest, that squiggles are dynamic by nature. They are dynamical ’shape changers’.

   For this reason and others we can talk more about, pursuing the squiggle sense requires the seeker~seeking to relax their need for clear-cut, not overlapping definitions.

   As Samual Beckett says in the opening of “Dante…Bruno.Vico.. Joyce” (1929),

   “The danger is in the neatness of identifications…”

   But take heart! The messy overlapping occurs in the brain~minds of all squigglers.

   It is worth it though: there is much waiting to be gained by awakening the squiggle sense, and so it is worth the struggle.

   p.s.

   A good exercise for such complementary thinking is to click through the quotes in the sidebar, look at a few every day. Notice how different the authors can be in rank and station, whereabouts and chronology, and yet how similar the gist of the quotes can be.
3. Dr Karen says:

   August 27, 2009 at 11:02 pm

   Thanks so much for your reassurance and ideas

   …”pursuing the squiggle sense requires the seeker~seeking to relax their need for clear-cut, not overlapping definitions.”

   I understand this completely! I was worried about the messiness rather than the overlapping and I also know the messiness is a necessary precursor to the breakthrough(s). (Or so I preach to all my clients)

   It’s the word “strategy” that’s throwing me a touch — it implies I ought to be able to using the 12 for Something Specific – but I’m not there yet.

   Not to worry, I’ll keep practicing at it. And waiting for the next installment.

   Here’s a request for Someday: a place t practice “out loud” with people – kind of a discussion area of the site where people can start to play with generating pairs, squiggle senses, etc. with your gentle and eludicating feedback. (Kind of a precursor playground to the Dictionary you folks mention in your book.)

   Staying tuned!
4. sandra742 says:

   September 9, 2009 at 3:23 pm

   Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. Cheers! Sandra. R.