The Strange Attractor - Thriving in the Willamette Valley
Written by Tim Buckley, February 2024
The term strange attractor was coined by European mathematicians David Ruelle and Floris Takens, describing complex patterns that emerge in the chaotic universe, seemingly random events that turn out to be governed by hidden, intricate laws.
Margaret Wheatley, whose biography almost defies classification, uses that term to apply to organizational behavior, and how we can grow healthier communities by “going with the flow” instead of trying to control things. She said that certain leadership characteristics – generosity, creativity, and a desire for community – are key elements in helping organizations thrive, because these natural leaders sense the flow and invite it, rather than trying to control it.
In the Highland neighborhood, the strange attractor seems to be helping to bring together the lives and activities of two civic-minded groups: CBEL’s Highland Neighborhood Family Council and the Highland Neighborhood Association (HNA).
Left to Right- Merideth Patterson, Anna Carney, Leigh Tracey-Gaynair, Vanessa Gaiser, Rick Brown, Ana Brown, Holly Schiefelbein, Ryan Erickson-Kulas
HNA Sect./Treas. Ryan Erickson-Kulas talked this month about the seemingly “chance” things that brought him to Salem and to the Highland neighborhood late in 2022. And, likewise, how he learned about the new Highland Neighborhood Family Council. Then, last month, at CBEL’s Collaborative gathering, when he was “blown away” by what he discovered there.
We’re just going to call these “coincidences” part of a strange attractor phenomenon happening in the north Salem and Keizer area.
Ryan, and his wife Holly, came to Salem because of her new job, teaching at Chemeketa Community College. His employer for the past five-plus years is the Michelson 20MM Foundation, which was created to “increase educational access, foster academic success, and reduce cost obstacles associated with higher education.” The private nonprofit seeks to impact underserved and historically underrepresented communities, according to it’s website.
“We think of neighborhood as the 3rd place in our life; after home and work, it’s civic engagement that motivates us,”
“I joined the Highland Neighborhood Association because it’s a way to meet new people,” Ryan said. “We think of neighborhood as the 3rd place in our life; after home and work, it’s civic engagement that motivates us,” he continued. “The neighborhood association has given us another way to contribute.”
With a dozen others, they conduct monthly neighborhood clean ups, and in the past year, they organized two events with Center 50+. At Christmas, the neighbors wrapped presents for homebound seniors and decorated cookies. At the end of March, they will hold a kids’ spring clothing swap, also at Center 50+.
Ryan said yes to being a HNA board member at his first meeting. Since then, looking around for other local resources, he discovered the Highland Neighborhood Family Council was starting up and subscribed to CBEL’s newsletter. “It made sense to me right away that we work together on projects,” he said.
Paul Schmitz, January 2024 CBEL Collaborative
“I was at CBEL’s Collaborative event in January, learning about ‘collective impact’ from Paul Schmitz,” Ryan continued. “What a great event. Following that, I met Eduardo Angulo. We talked about collaborating on activities in Highland. In fact, the Neighborhood Family Council will be at our Center 50+ event sharing information about the Council’s work in Highland. “The population we’ve been largely involved with in the neighborhood seems to have some overlap, but our collective efforts will most definitely be a benefit to both.”
Looking more deeply into the strange attractor effect, there are many striking resemblances between the organizational principles outlined on Margaret Wheatley’s website, those embraced by the Michelson 20MM Foundation, and by the Center for Community Resilience, the basis for CBEL’s work with Neighborhood Family Councils.
Here are some of the common attributes of organizations seeking to live in a society where the strange attractor is alive and well:
Whatever the problem, community is the answer
Diversity is a blessing not a problem
The leaders we need are already here
A leader is anyone willing to get engaged
All people are creative and will work tirelessly for what they care about
People support what they create
To heal a living system, connect it to more of itself
Change happens through emergence, not by any other process
Self-awareness is the foundation for good leadership
A living system is a learning system or else it dies
A good sense of humor is an absolute necessity
Grace and joy are present even amidst the sorrows