A corporation is organized as a system - it has this department, that department, that department... they don't have any meaning separately; they only can function together. And also the body is a system. Society is a system in some sense. And so on.
Interpretation
David Bohm emphasizes the interconnectedness of systems, highlighting that individual components derive their significance from their relationships within the whole.
In this quote, David Bohm draws a parallel between the structure of a corporation, the human body, and society, arguing that each is composed of interdependent parts that lack meaning in isolation. He asserts that understanding the functionality and purpose of these systems requires recognizing their interconnectedness, which is crucial for both individual and collective functioning. The quote invites reflection on how various elements, whether in organizations or in life, must work in harmony to create a meaningful and effective whole.
In practice
In a discussion about team dynamics, this quote could illustrate how collaboration leads to success.
Similarly, thought is a system. That system not only includes thought and feelings, but it includes the state of the body; it includes the whole of society - as thought is passing back and forth between people in a process by which thought evolved from ancient times.
What is the source of all this trouble? I'm saying that the source is basically in thought. Many people would think that such a statement is crazy, because thought is the one thing we have with which to solve our problems. That's part of our tradition.
We havent really paid much attention to thought as a process. we have engaged in thoughts, but we have only paid attention to the content, not to the process.
My suggestion is that at each state the proper order of operation of the mind requires an overall grasp of what is generally known, not only in formal logical, mathematical terms, but also intuitively, in images, feelings, poetic usage of language, etc.
The ability to perceive or think differently is more important than the knowledge gained.
Space is not empty. It is full, a plenum as opposed to a vacuum, and is the ground for the existence of everything, including ourselves. The universe is not separate from this cosmic sea of energy.
Wherever people gather for selfless ends, there is a vast augmentation of their individual capacities. Something wonderful, something momentous happens. An irresistible force begins to move, which, though we may not see it, is going to change our world. In this lies the power and the meaning of spiritual companionship.
And after your death, when most of you for the first time realize what life here is all about, you will begin to see that your life here is almost nothing but the sum total of every choice you have made during every moment of your life. Your thoughts, which you are responsible for, are as real as your deeds. You will begin to realize that every word and every deed affects your life and has also touched thousands of lives.
It's always easier for people to face backward than to face forward.
Is there no respect of place, persons, nor time in you?
A banker warned the British poet Robert Graves that one could not grow rich writing poetry. He replied that if there was no money in poetry, there was certainly no poetry in money, and so it was all even.
If anything is certain, it is that I myself am not a Marxist.
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