What are Fractals?

Regardless of the level of scale at which you are viewing them, most long-lasting structures in nature have a common underlying makeup. We see it in honeycombs made by bees, where small hexagonal cells make up one resilient structure. It can also be seen in the way that rivers flow, with the main current in the center and smaller tributaries flowing off of it. 

This underlying structure phenomenon is often referred to as fractality. A fractal is created by repeating a simple process over and over again to create a complex pattern or structure. 

So, what does this have to do with social change? We’ll explain. 

Take Nature’s Lead

Fractals in nature are sustainable, long-lasting structures. Why shouldn’t we replicate that in social change movements? 

When you think of a beehive, you don’t imagine a single bee constructing the complicated, resilient honeycomb structure. Each individual bee is focused on constructing individual cells of that honeycomb. But when they’re added together, what emerges is this resilient big structure that mirrors what the small structures look like.

The big emergent structure that you wish to see can be constructed by embodying it at a small scale and in a repeated fashion. 

When thinking about social movements, many people feel that they need to have a large-scale influence in order to see any real change. What if instead, you start practicing what you preach no matter how big an influence you have?

This idea of focusing on small changes to help you achieve an emergent structure is one of ROI’s values that governs our work. 

Be the Change You Wish to See

The question we should be asking ourselves is: How can I ensure that my daily actions reflect the change I want to see in the systems around me? If enough people do this, when we zoom out, we will see an emergent structure that looks like the summation of all those small actions. 

If a bee came over to the honeycomb and told the other bees that they thought the cells should be triangular instead of hexagonal, most likely, the other bees would ignore or reject the idea because the hexagons have been working just fine.  

If that same bee just stops making hexagons and starts making triangles, that would disrupt those around her. Now she has the attention of the other bees. Now, the triangle movement has the opportunity to spread on a small scale, outward from those pockets of influence. 

Even if only a few follow, the honeycomb that used to stand in its very resilient hexagonal shape will crumble because the whole integrity of the structure changed. What will re-emerge may be the aggregate of these triangles. 

Actions Speak Louder Than Words 

The point is, we look at large systemic structures and become overwhelmed with the thought of attempting to dismantle and disrupt them. We can’t just tell people to reimagine the education system, or make mass changes in the justice system. 

Maybe that’s not the way to do it. Maybe we must look at the small ways that we are already interacting with an influence in the justice system, or the education system. Or any system. And make the shifts we’d like to see on a small scale. Chances are that the big structure may not be resilient enough to handle that sort of small scale of change. 

If we want to see these massive systems that are very resilient change, it may not be that we look to reconstruct them wholesale all at once. Instead, in our small pockets, look to embody the habits, behaviors, and shifts we would like to see in the system. By doing so, we can influence a more wide scale change that ultimately will lead to an emergent system that operates differently. 

Activist and author Adrienne Maree Brown writes about fractals and their role in social change in her book, Emergent Strategy. We encourage those intrigued to learn more about alternative ways of social change to look into her work.