Toward Healing | The Sum of Parts Is Smaller Than The Whole

Aristotle stated over 2300 years ago that "the whole is something over and above its parts, and not just the sum of them all" (Metaphysics, 1045a). Aristotle's statement is one of the most basic observations on both the natural and man-made world and has become the foundation for a multitude of theories and practices based on synergy. As a design theoretician and practitioner I have been constantly experiencing the value of this fundamental observation.

A Menger sponge as visual example of whole and parts. Image from spacetecture © daniela bertol

Unfortunately "the whole being greater than the sum of its parts" is true also in negative destructive actions in personal life. I can be a perfect case study as in the past four years I have been experiencing how seemingly separated events and people have merged together to produce severe damage to my wellbeing. Some of these events are considered major life stress, each on its own: brutal divorce proceedings, betrayal from friends, lack of support from immediate family, the challenging pursue of a doctoral degree caught in the crossfire of academic politics.  Other events are something which anybody can face on a daily basis: e.g. dealing with dysfunctional public and private services, bureaucracy, delayed deliveries, rude strangers, greedy neighbors. Facing all or several of these adversities several at once can become an explosive cocktail for emotional and physical health bringing stress to dangerous levels.

A week ago I had this insight which has become a major life changer in dealing with adversities. If I am overcome the whole of negative people and events encountered in my daily life, why not dealing with each negativeness separately, deconstructing the whole into its parts.  Dealing with each negativity at the time can be accomplished especially when starting with smaller tasks. It is important to start with something we can successfully accomplish without other people—especially when the others are  narcissistic obstructionist spouses and family members. 

Logic is an important component of Greek, and overall, philosophy. Therefore, whenever the whole points to negative actions and effects, why not changing "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" into "the sum of parts is smaller than the whole"?

Yoga | How Group Practice Matters

It is frigid Saturday morning in New York, single digit temperatures with the wind chill factor. Yet, I drag myself out of my apartment to attend the 9am yoga class at the Upper West Side Lululemon store —offering every Saturday morning a free yoga class. I practice yoga and other movement routines daily, in four  segments of 10-15 minutes each; but attending a group practice becomes a time challenge —specially on a painfully cold Saturday morning, with many tasks in the "to do list" after another difficult week. But today I was rewarded: during the class at lululemon there was a Eureka moment: my main insight was that the importance of becoming part of a yoga practices led by somebody else —even the affinities with own's practice are not that relevant. The learned lessons more specific to hatha yoga were also important for my own individual practice and teaching:

• Development of twists into spiraling movements starting from bālāsana (child pose)
• Transition from virabhadrāsana 3 (warrior pose 3) to seated position twisting the lifted leg
• Spiraling movements in head stand
• focus on different types of alignment in bhakti virabhadrasana (devotional warrior)
• Ending a class with a restorative pose, which is not necessarily savasana
• Working on development of yoga mat design 

Moving together with many other yoga practitioners helps, bringing the individual energy into a collective synergy: "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts". But another important insight was that every group practice can teach a lesson, beyond the scripted instructions of the script: the lesson I learned today was about to be open to others' suggestions, not only in yoga but in life.

Self Help | When the Whole is Greater than the Sum of Its Parts

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

― Aristotle

Aristotele's observation ---often used to indicate a synergetic, positive, outcome--- is unfortunately true also for the idiocy and frustrations of life. I spent almost all the past week dealing with individually small things whose sum turned into a whole huge frustration. Besides my personal situation  ---abandonment from spouse--- I had to deal with professionally related nuisances, mainly dueto 3D printing. It was so frustrating experiencing the failure of my desktop printer which has had a very poor performance, terminated with total failure, since from its purchase of less than two month ago —especially after reading the recent article in The New Yorker, narrating the marvel of 3D printing applications in medicine. Researchers in material science collaborate with medical practitioner to 3D print in bio-compatible materials not only prosthetics and exoskeleton but also parts of internal organs.

Shapeways, the 3D printing service I often rely on for finer resolution design also failed, in the missed delivery of several design I was planning to present during my visit to Milan. Of course my personal frustrations are marginal, considering what is going on at a collective level with all the cases of racial discrimination, but when combined with my personal/professional rumination left me with little energy 

Walking provided healing as usual: my 14 km walk in the relentless was cathartic, clearing the tension and frustration.

To conclude with popular wisdom, adopted by Nietzsche: "That which does not kill us makes us stronger".