It's about the links, not just the nodes

No one really understands all the relationships that allow a tree to do what it does. That lack of knowledge is not surprising. It’s easier to learn about a system’s elements than about its interconnections.

Donalla Meadows, Thinking in Systems

One can define a human being by DNA or by the physical traits of the species, but I prefer to use the word person for the focus of a pattern of relationships.

Mary Catherine Bateson, Peripheral Visions: Learning Along the Way

You can learn all of the technology and architecture. You can build great technical systems to a high degree of predictability. But when the lights go out, it’s the communities and relationships that sustain us–personally and professionally.

What does investing a little time in strengthening your community look like? What’s one thing you can do today?

(Ctrl+Shift is resuming at last; that hiatus was longer than anticipated.)