Journal – Trance Blackman

Here you’ll find my philosophical meanderings in the form of articles, essays, and occasional poetry. My interests and curiosities are broad, but the central focus remains the pursuit of what is authentic, real, and true.

Lux et veritas

Journal Entries / systems thinking (11 Posts)

Showing posts tagged “systems thinking”. Clear filter

Complex and Inverted

27 March 2026 ~ 7 minute read

We move through systems every day without noticing how deeply they shape us. Not by force, but through incentives, expectations, and quiet agreements we rarely question. Over time, what is useful and real can be inverted, while what is abstract and dependent is elevated in its place.

Fire, Terrain, and the Intelligence of Nature

28 January 2026 ~ 4 minute read

What we call invasive, diseased, or dangerous often says more about our assumptions than the systems we’re observing. What if forests and bodies are responding intelligently to conditions we’ve misunderstood?

Man v Woman: Reconciling the Masculine/Feminine Dichotomy

24 January 2020 (rev. 25 February 2024) ~ 5 minute read

I am sorry. For what it’s worth, I apologize to all women for the ways in which this world has been designed to cause you suffering from the moment you are born. Even institutionalized childbirth is a distortion of the beautiful, simple, sacred, and natural. Man v Woman is just one chapter in a vast, dark, and dysfunctional historical narrative. I, like all men, have suffered greatly as a result of it, though few would admit it or realize how deep the wound is for all of us.

In Love/Hate with the Modern World

18 January 2020 (rev. 21 February 2024) ~ 4 minute read

It starts from the top. That is something we all know. We don’t know who is truly at the top; it certainly isn’t a president, prime minister, or pope. Oligarchs? Clever (but evil) aliens? Stonecutters? Regardless, our modern world is based on power hierarchies, particularly in government, industry, commerce, education, science, and religion, all of which are heavily influenced by the capitalist market system. The system is clearly flawed, which is not surprising to most of us.

What’s the Point of Me?

18 December 2019 (rev. 28 July 2021) ~ 4 minute read

Maybe it’s just that time of year again, but I find that existential curiosities abound in the darker, shorter days of wintertime. I look at the world, and see that the majority of the dominant species seem intent on self-termination, while an increasingly awake and aware collective is emerging that might save us all from ourselves. I wonder, where do I fit in to all this? Why am I here? Who am I… really?

On Building a Highway

08 December 2019 (rev. 10 July 2021) ~ 4 minute read

There’s a psychological trick we may unintentionally disrupt the flow in our life with, only because, as per usual, we’re not even aware that we’re doing it. In fact, we employ a lot of paradoxical or conflicting programs all the time, so it’s no wonder that we often find ourselves flailing about or otherwise overwhelmed, confused, frustrated and stumped. This inevitably leads to a variation of the blame/shame game, and more often than not, it turns inward.