Reflection: When Structure Ignores Process

 

This story is not about engineering.
 

It is about how we enter systems that are already in motion.

 

Before moving on, pause—not to reach a conclusion, but to notice patterns.

 

1. Static assumptions

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Think of a situation in your life where you assumed:

• conditions would remain stable

• variables were fixed

• the environment would adapt to you

 

What actually changed instead? (Name the situation without judging yourself or others.)

 

2. Certainty vs. attention

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Galloping Gertie did not fail because of malice or incompetence.
It failed because certainty replaced attention.

 

Where do you notice yourself saying, even quietly:

• “I know how this works”

• “This should be fine”

• “I’ve done this before”

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What information might you stop noticing when certainty takes over?

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3. Environment as participant

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Consider a system you’re part of right now:

• a workplace

• a relationship

• a community

• a routine

• ​

Do you treat it as:

• a static problem to solve, or

• an ongoing process to navigate?

• ​

How does that framing change your expectations?

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4. Failure as information

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The collapse of Galloping Gertie was not the end of engineering at the Narrows.
It was the beginning of better listening.

 

Think of a failure you’ve experienced:

• What constraint did it reveal?

• What assumption did it quietly challenge?

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No explanation required—only recognition.

 

5. One small practice (optional)

 

Before entering a new situation, pause and ask:

• What is already moving here?

• What doesn’t need my control to function?

• What might I need to adapt to rather than fix?

• ​

You don’t need answers—only awareness.