Greetings! This discussion is custom tailored to the specific interests of the most recent group who attended the previous meeting. This group was highly engaging and it was a lively interesting discussion. This discussion is going to focus on a Review of Complexity theory and Stoicism.
Recommend reading is Meditations by Marcus Aurelius for Stoicism and you tube interviews of Stuart Kauffman and Neil Theise for complexity theory.
Cherry Hills Library availability below- hope it works for all.
Review of Complexity Theory and Stoicism
Sunday Feb 15, 2026 2:00-4:00
See below for overview of Stoicism and complexity theory.
## 🌿 What is Stoicism?
Stoicism is an ancient Greek–Roman philosophy about how to live well by aligning your thoughts and actions with reason, virtue, and acceptance of reality.
It teaches that:
- You cannot control events
- You can control your judgments, choices, and character
Happiness comes from mastering the second, not fighting the first.
### Core Stoic principles
### 1. Control what you can
> “Some things are up to us, some are not.” — Epictetus
Up to you:
- beliefs
- decisions
- effort
- attitude
- integrity
Not up to you:
- other people
- outcomes
- reputation
- weather
- illness
- luck
Stress = trying to control what isn’t yours.
Peace = focusing only on what is.
***
### 2. Virtue is the only real good
Stoics say character matters more than comfort.
Four virtues:
- Wisdom – clear thinking
- Justice – fairness and service to others
- Courage – facing difficulty
- Temperance – self-control
External success (money, praise, position) is “preferred,” but not necessary for a good life.
***
### 3. Accept reality (Amor Fati)
Love fate, don’t resist it.
Instead of:
❌ “Why is this happening to me?”
Shift to:
✅ “How do I use this well?”
Obstacles become training.
***
### 4. Train your mind daily
Stoicism is not theory — it’s practice:
- reflection
- journaling
- reframing setbacks
- imagining difficulties ahead of time
- gratitude
***
# 🏛 Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius (121–180 CE)
Roman Emperor + Stoic philosopher
He ruled during:
- wars
- plagues
- political instability
Yet wrote personal notes to himself on staying calm and ethical.
These notes became Meditations.
Important:
Meditations was not written for others — it’s his private self-coaching journal.
So it’s raw, practical, and honest.
***
## His main ideas
### 1. Do your duty
Focus on your role and perform it well.
> “At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: I have to go to work as a human being.”
For him:
Leadership = service, not ego.
(As someone supervising ~100 people, this mindset fits strongly — leadership as responsibility, not status.)
***
### 2. Don’t take things personally
People act from ignorance or fear.
> “When someone does wrong, they harm themselves.”
So:
- don’t get angry
- stay steady
- correct calmly
***
### 3. Your mind creates suffering
Events are neutral.
Your interpretation creates pain.
> “If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but your estimate of it.”
Change the estimate → change the experience.
***
### 4. Remember impermanence
Everything passes:
- praise
- criticism
- life itself
This shrinks ego and anxiety.
> “Soon you will have forgotten everything; soon everything will have forgotten you.”
Not depressing — freeing.
It helps you focus on what actually matters: character.
***
### 5. Be kind and cooperative
Humans are social beings.
> “What is not good for the hive is not good for the bee.”
Act for the common good.
***
# 🧠 Stoicism in one sentence
Do the right thing, control your reactions, accept what happens, and keep your character steady.
***
# 🔧 Practical daily Stoic habits (very applicable for leaders)
Morning:
- “What is in my control today?”
- “What challenges might happen?”
During the day:
- Pause before reacting
- Ask: “What would virtue look like here?”
- Focus on effort, not outcome
Evening:
- What did I do well?
- Where did I lose composure?
- How can I improve tomorrow?
(Journaling like Marcus did is extremely effective.)
Here are a few questions if you would like to ponder:
1. Does living a Stoic life restrict Emergence?
2. Is restricting Emergence in one's life required to stabilize one's experience and thereby one's existence?
3. Does Emergence occur where complex systems exist within the confines of a stoic existence?
Below is a summary of Dr. Neil Theise discussion on Complexity Theory that I watched on Youtube. I used Copilot dictate to record the audio, then asked copilot to summarize what it heard and transcribed. Below is the result.
Self-Organization and Complexity: How Order Emerges from Chaos
From Ant Colonies to Human Creativity—Understanding the Surprising Power of Bottom-Up Systems
# Introduction: The Marvel of Self-Organization
Have you ever wondered how a flock of birds turns in perfect synchrony, or how a bustling city seems to organize itself without a central conductor? These are just a few examples of self-organization—a phenomenon where order and complex patterns emerge from seemingly random interactions among simple parts. From ant colonies to human societies, and even in the creative process of bands like The Beatles, self-organization reveals how complexity arises naturally at the edge between order and chaos. Let’s explore how this works, why randomness is crucial, and what it teaches us about the unpredictability and adaptability of living systems.
## Ant Colonies: A Masterclass in Bottom-Up Organization
Ant colonies are a classic example of self-organization. Each ant follows simple rules: it wanders randomly, leaves pheromone trails when it finds food, and tends to follow stronger trails left by others. There’s no “boss ant” giving orders. Yet, these random movements and chemical signals lead to the emergence of sophisticated structures, such as efficient foraging paths and intricate nests.
What’s fascinating is that the colony’s organization isn’t dictated from the top down. Instead, it arises from countless local interactions—a process called bottom-up organization. Randomness plays a key role: if ants only followed strict routines, they’d never discover new food sources. Their random explorations ensure flexibility and adaptability, helping the colony thrive in changing environments.
## Human Behavior: Parallels in Our Own Societies
Surprisingly, humans aren’t so different from ants in this respect. Think about city traffic, markets, or social trends. No single person plans a city’s daily flow, but order emerges from the actions and interactions of individuals. Social norms, languages, and even internet memes are examples of structures that emerge from the bottom up, shaped by countless small decisions and influences.
Just as in ant colonies, randomness in human behavior—trying new things, making mistakes, or improvising—drives exploration and helps societies adapt to new challenges. Over time, these experiments can lead to the emergence of entirely new social structures or cultural phenomena.
## The Role of Randomness: Fuel for Innovation and Adaptation
Randomness might sound like a recipe for chaos, but in complex systems, it’s actually a source of creativity and resilience. In both ants and humans, random actions allow for exploration and discovery. They help groups avoid getting “stuck” in rigid patterns, making it possible to adapt when circumstances change.
This balance—between routine and randomness, order and disorder—is what allows complex systems to evolve and thrive. Too much order can lead to stagnation; too much chaos, and the system falls apart. The sweet spot, where complexity flourishes, lies at the boundary between order and chaos.
## Mathematical Modeling: Simulating Complexity
Scientists use mathematical models and computer simulations to study self-organization and complexity. For example, simulations of virtual ants following simple rules can recreate the same trail patterns seen in nature. Models of human crowds, traffic, or even the spread of ideas use similar principles to reveal how large-scale order can emerge from local interactions.
These tools help us understand not just how systems work, but how they might change if conditions shift—offering insights into everything from epidemic outbreaks to economic trends.
## Creativity and Self-Organization: The Beatles as a Case Study
Self-organization isn’t limited to insects or cities—it also plays a role in human creativity. Take The Beatles, for example. Their groundbreaking music didn’t come from following a strict plan. Instead, it emerged from spontaneous collaboration, experimentation, and sometimes even happy accidents. Each member brought ideas, and their interactions—sometimes random, sometimes structured—produced something greater than the sum of its parts.
This “collective creativity” is a hallmark of self-organizing systems: innovation emerges not from a single genius, but from the interplay of many individuals, each contributing in unpredictable ways.
## Chaos Theory and Complexity: Life at the Edge
Chaos theory explores how tiny changes in initial conditions can lead to wildly different outcomes—a concept known as the “butterfly effect.” In complex systems, life often exists at the edge of chaos, where there’s enough order to maintain structure, but enough unpredictability to allow for adaptation and innovation.
This is why living systems—from ecosystems to economies—are both robust and unpredictable. They’re constantly adapting, shaped by the interplay between order and randomness.
## Implications: Unpredictability, Adaptation, and Emergence in Living Systems
Understanding self-organization helps explain why living systems are so adaptable—and why they can be unpredictable. Since order emerges from countless local interactions and random events, it’s often impossible to predict exactly what will happen next. This unpredictability can be both a challenge and a strength, allowing systems to respond creatively to new situations.
Whether it’s ants discovering new food sources, societies evolving new customs, or musicians inventing new sounds, self-organization teaches us that complexity, creativity, and resilience often arise not from control, but from the freedom to explore, interact, and adapt.
## Conclusion: The Broader Relevance of Self-Organization
Self-organization shows us that order and complexity don’t always require a master plan. Through the interplay of simple rules, random variations, and local interactions, complex and beautiful structures can emerge—whether in nature, human society, or art. By embracing the unpredictable and understanding the power of bottom-up organization, we gain new insights into how our world works, and how we might better navigate its ever-changing complexity.
