Too much order is like living without prospects or civil rights under a totalitarian dictatorship. It is being obsessively compulsive or anorexic under the relentless regime of a rigid, unyielding mind. Too much chaos is like the hysterical madness of roused crowds trampling thousands to death in the streets. It is losing oneself in the incoherent oddities of delusional, disjointed ideas. From despair and helplessness to utter boredom and repetition; from the rise and demise of civilizations to the conception and expiration of forms, species, psyches, societies and ideas: what does the concept of complex systems tell us about all these phenomena, and how do we avoid the extremes of order and chaos that seem to plague existence? What if Mother Nature's observable dynamic systems have already given us the answer: the resplendent path, the perfect finetuning between these two variables, the desirable golden mean? The Resplendent Path seeks to answer ages-old questions that have haunted humankind, from how to lead a meaningful life to the challenge of organizing an optimal society and effective system of government. While first exploring the more abstract background ideas - most notably chaos theory and the concept of complexity, including a rich variety of sources offering different perspectives - The Resplendent Path then goes on to demonstrate that it is possible to answer such fundamental philosophical and existential inquiries satisfactorily when using the ideas of chaos, order and complexity as a conceptual framework, and to prescribe reasonable solutions. Furthermore, it is not only a philosophical journey, but also a personal quest, which is why I have included a lot of anecdotal material, and as such it will make it more relatable and empathetic (applicable to real-life experiences) rather than letting the reader dwell in the realm of the abstract. In other words, this book is intended to inspire change on both the personal and the societal level.
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