When we begin to really understand how living systems work, it’s like “light bulbs” are coming on in our heads. It makes sense! We can see that the living systems God created are truly like cats, not toasters. Last week, I talked about this “light bulb experience” – when we really begin to think out of our subconscious thought. But the light doesn’t stay on for long! Why is that? We’ve found that soon after this experience, our rational “toaster” way of thinking usually kicks in, and we revert back to thinking of living systems with our conscious thought – breaking them down into compartmentalized, disconnected parts instead of seeing them as the living, complex, interrelated systems they really are! However, I think that I have found some basic ways that not only switch the lights on, but also help us keep them on.

For one, appreciate the relational aspects of life that are basic to how people in primary culture usually operate. The “Process of the Gospel” is a great example of this, which involves skills like observation, positive appreciation, relevant communication, meeting needs, and seeing multiplication occur in complex social systems. These are relational, substantive aspects of life that “turn the light bulb on.” Truly observing another environment is common in many vital relational cultures, where people learn through observing others and serving as apprentices, as opposed to formal educational systems.

In addition, in vital primary cultures, people more naturally realize that significant events have multiple causes and multiple effects, not one simplistic cause and its one effect. Working in living systems, we must realize this as well. Many times, I’ve used Boston’s Quiet Revival as an example of this. We have to think outside the box and constantly remind ourselves that when significant things happen in living systems, there were multiple causes leading up to it.

Lastly, understand that in living systems, we are dealing with highly stable realities (things that don’t change over time or space). Take Acts 1:8 for example where the spread of the Gospel went from a city to its regions and then the world. Because that occurred through living systems, if we realize that we’re also working with and through living systems, we could do Acts 1:8 today!

When it comes to really seeing and understanding living systems, relational primary cultures usually already have the “light bulbs on” because they know how highly complex living system dynamics work in social systems. However, those of us in mainstream technological secondary cultures don’t always understand the living system nature of our social systems or how it operates, thus our systemic “light bulb” is usually off! As we try to turn and keep our “light bulbs” on, it may help us to appreciate and even bring these significant aspects of vital relational cultures to our own settings.