Recognizing Relationships
Relationships are action-reaction. Interaction. Causes and effects. Feedback. Any two things or ideas can be related and any thing or idea could be a relationship itself. The mind is fluid like that.
![Dummy](https://blog.cabreraresearch.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Cabrera_Lab_April_2020/Images/actionreaction.png?width=500&name=actionreaction.png)
We often think of things as being made up of many relationships among relationships--an ecosystem for example. But we also see a system of relationships and convert it into a thing--a dog for example. This is akin to verbifying a noun or nounifying a verb. Relate your distinctions and distinguish your relationships! Have fun with it.
![Creative](https://blog.cabreraresearch.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Cabrera_Lab_April_2020/Images/tumblr_nrplgtvpWq1rdzhrzo1_1280.png?width=700&name=tumblr_nrplgtvpWq1rdzhrzo1_1280.png)
![Desc](https://blog.cabreraresearch.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Cabrera_Lab_April_2020/Images/r-1.png?width=700&name=r-1.png)
Nature has a way of hiding her relationships. You see the dog. You see the splash. The relationship is brief and tenuous, mostly invisible. But it is there. It is indeed a whole system, made up of parts!
![Dogs](https://blog.cabreraresearch.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Cabrera_Lab_April_2020/Images/tufte_beautiful_evidence.png?width=700&name=tufte_beautiful_evidence.png)
The relationships you focus on--the one's you choose to recognize--are a function of your perspective.
![Getting Confused](https://blog.cabreraresearch.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Cabrera_Lab_April_2020/Images/12646950305_0560bd8dfa.jpg?width=500&name=12646950305_0560bd8dfa.jpg)
From the book: Cabrera, D and Cabrera L. 2015. Systems Thinking Made Simple Odyssean.