Fractegrity

@fractegrity.bsky.social

Fractegrity is an ongoing practice of seeing wholeness in detail, and detail in wholeness. Fractegrity is not a style, but a principle: a fusion of fractal and integrity — the belief that every fragment contains the pattern of the whole. Fractegrity.com

A diagram of the three branches of government.

• Shift from "Me" to "We". "We" are part of a global family.

• Use interdependence as a guiding principle. We are part of an interconnected system that extends beyond humans.

• Cultivate integrity as civic power. Personal honesty and ethical choices build trust in communities.

• Small acts such as voting, volunteering, mentoring, and ethical consumer choices ripple outward to affect others.

• Listen as much as you speak; seek to understand across differences. Use language that builds bridges instead of divisions.

A mosaic of Trump with tacos. Individual tiles are from unflattering Trump images.

A mosaic created using tils from unflattering Trump images

The final threat to judicial independence is defiance of judgments lawfully entered by courts of competent jurisdiction.
Chief Justice John Roberts 2024 Year End Report

The world is your mirror.
The good you find in others, is in you too.
The faults you find in others, are your faults as well.
After all, to recognize something you must know it.
The possibilities you see in others, are possible for you as well.
The beauty you see around you, is your beauty.
The world around you is a reflection, a mirror showing you the person you are.
To change your world, you must change yourself.
To blame and complain will only make matters worse.
Whatever you care about, is your responsibility.
What you see in others, shows you yourself.
See the best in others, and you will be your best.
Give to others, and you give to yourself.
Appreciate beauty, and you will be beautiful.
Admire creativity, and you will be creative.
Love, and you will be loved.
Seek to understand, and you will be understood.
Listen, and your voice will be heard.
Teach, and you will learn.
Show your best face to the mirror,
And you’ll be happy with the face looking back at you.

– Unknown

A diagram of the separation of powers as created by the US Constitution

Heavy physical work, the care of home and children, petty quarrels with neighbors, films, football, beer and above all, gambling filled up the horizon of their minds. To keep them in control was not difficult.” ― George Orwell, 1984

You have been such an important part of my childhood. From my earliest days, the lessons you taught me have served as my guide to a good and proper life. When I denied taking cookies from the cookie jar, you taught me why it was wrong to lie. When I asked you to do a homework assignment that I would later hand in as my own, you taught me that cheating was wrong. When I got into an argument with a neighbor, you taught me to be kind to others, to respect their opinions even if I disagreed with them. From you I learned that all people were created equal. That looking out for those less fortunate was nothing short of divine.

I recall our walks together in the park and the times when you would bend over to pick up someone else’s litter. So often you marveled at the beauty of nature and spoke of our responsibilities as good stewards of the Earth.

And who can forget the time we walked down the aisle of the supermarket and coming toward us was a young boy who limped and seemed to wave his arms uncontrollably? As I laughed and pointed, you got down on your knees and grabbed my shoulders with your big, strong hands. You looked sternly into my eyes and told me never ever make fun of someone with a disability.

And today, as I listen to you praising President Trump, you have taught me yet another lesson. Sadly, it is a lesson I would have preferred not to learn. For now, I understand the meaning of hypocrisy.

Poem Kindness by Naomi Shihab Nye
Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.

Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.

Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.
Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to gaze at bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
It is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.

$The term fractegrity came about by combining the two words “fractal” and “integrity”. Fractegrity strives to be a state of integrity at all levels – from the individual to the collective. Fractegrity recognizes that individual actions have broader impacts than we may realize. Individual actions, guided by integrity, create a ripple effect, impacting the collective and contributing to a balanced and harmonious world. This aligns with the understanding of interdependence, which emphasizes that individual choices and actions have consequences that extend beyond the self, influencing the well-being of others and the larger system. This gives us a better understanding of our role in affecting the whole, and empowers us to take action towards the goal of a healthier collective.$

$A quote on a fractal background. The quote is First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me. —Martin Niemöller$