Sanding reality.
The way we use systems thinking to understand our reality reminds me of Vietnamese lacquer painting. In this traditional art form, the complete image already exists beneath layers of lacquer, the artist reveals it through careful sanding. Just as each artist might polish different areas to varying degrees of clarity, we each focus on different aspects of reality as we try to make sense of it. With patience and dedicated effort, a richly textured and meaningful image gradually emerges.
Following this metaphor, I believe our reality already exists in its complete and temporary form, composed of countless layers of events, relationships and actions. However, these layers are obscured by noise. It is only through conscious and persistent effort to remove this noise that we can uncover meaning and understanding.
