Implications for engaging in the begging moment

Confusion in Exchanging Something for Nothing (Part #11)

Comprehension of nonlinear dynamics: It is the animation of the Lorenz strange attractor above which is most suggestive of the complexity and coherence of the cognitive dynamics of the begging moment. There is coherence, but it would be foolish to endeavour to describe its essential nonlinerity in linear terms. It does not lend itself to ready definition. The pattern of the event, and assumptions about it, is shifting moment by moment. The manner in which the pattern as a whole twists through a sequence suggests how thinking about the situation, and one's place in it, is reconfigured through that moment of engagement with the other -- and with their place in it.

Clearly the psychosocial implications of strange attractors, as the latter are studied by the complexity sciences, are far from being understood. The complexity (even the coherence) of such complex moments may be intuitively understood by some on some occasions, as with many moments of experiential significance which do not lend themselves to conventional linear descriptions. It may be smply a question of "going with the flow" as water suggests (Enabling Governance through the Dynamics of Nature: exemplified by cognitive implication of vortices and helicoidal flow, 2010).

Identifying with the "butterfly"? Other types of strange attractor are indicated above. All have a degree of relationship to the paradoxical nature of the Möbius strip. What that may imply in practice, or for particular forms of "begging", is necessarily far from clear at this time. Are some experiences of the begging moment better framed by the Rössler attractor? The moving point in the animation of the Lorenz attractor is however delightfully reminiscent of the quatrain by Omar Khayyám:

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.

With respect to the nature of the exchange in the begging moment, the butterfly-winged form of the Lorenz attractor is also reminiscent of the cognitive implications of the much-cited butterfly dream of Chuang Tzu (C. W. Chan, The Butterfly Dream, The Philosopher; Derek Lin, The Dream of the Butterfly; Kuang-ming Wu, The Butterfly as Companion: meditations on the first three chapters of the Chuang-Tzu, 1990):

Once upon a time, I, Chuang Chou, dreamt I was a butterfly,
fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly.
I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was Chou.
Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again.
Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly,
or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.
Between a man and a butterfly there is necessarily a distinction.
The transition is called the transformation of material things. [as translated by Lin Yutang]

Nonlinearity in global strategic decision-making: At the time of writing, as noted above, there is considerable global strategic concern with the influx of refugees (most notably into Europe), the Greek financial crisis, the nuclear negotiation with Iran, and the problematic interaction with ISIS. Developing countries are articulating concern regarding the emergence of a "begging culture".

Is there a marked tendency to assume that these can be resolved through conventional linear thinking when insights from complexity science might be of far greater relevance? Is there the possibility of strategies of higher dimensionality? If the relevance of complexity science has been assiduaously explored with respect to the financial markets, where is the exploration of its implications for the current Greek financial crisis and the influx of refugees? Is analysis of strategic options in terms of opportunity cost inherently inappropriate when dealing with the nonlinear dynamics of exchanging "something" for "nothing" -- as framed above -- especially when "forgoing" is an option?

If the begging moment renders evident the subtlest human values, are these indeed to be associated with the complex dynamics of strange attractors, as may be argued (Human Values as Strange Attractors, 1993)? Rather than the butterfly as "companion", can the sense of human identity in the begging moment be more fruitfully associated with the paradoxical butterfly indicated by an attractor such as that of Lorenz?

Consistent with the preoccupations of the complexity sciences with self-reference, there may be a case for exploring a strange form of cognitive mirroring (Radical Cognitive Mirroring of Globalization: dynamically inning the unquestioningly outed, 2014). Such possibilities are necessarily "fearful", as indicated in the argument above by Michael Burns (Fearing the Mirror: the importance of connection and compassion in an increasingly polarized society, 1992).

Being gifted by intangibles -- a coincidental anecdote

In the final phase of completing the above exploration, the writer was passing through the concourse of a central railway station. Faced with a young adult seeking coins in exchange for playing a violin, a choice was made to donate some small change. As I moved on, the player stopped me and made an unexpected request. Would I mind guarding the pitch for a few minutes while she went to the toilet?

I looked at the objects to be guarded, including a large bag -- mumbling protesting words about security, bombs and terrorism in stations -- and naively agreed. Was I standing in for a beggar, a traveller, a gypsy, a refugee, an unemployed student, a "down-and-out", a con-artist -- or even a jihadist seeking funds to travel to Syria?

So for a few minustes, facing the oncoming flow of people in the concourse, I stood guard over an old violin, the cash already collected, the large bag, some trash -- behind a notice begging for further donations in several languages. She finally returned. I was thanked. I kissed her cheek and went my way.

What did I receive, having been placed in such an unusual situation? A sense of significance in the reframing of an habitual space? A dimension strangely neglected in the literature on begging? A bizarre affirmation of my apparent trustworthiness? Confirmatiom of the possibility of a strange coherence in an exchange process? A memorable tale to tell? An experience engendering questions?

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Implications for engaging in the begging moment