STORIES FROM ECOLOGICAL SCIENCES 81
multilayered relationships, to see the wholeness of the universe, “the
pattern that connects” (Bateson 1972, p.462). Furthermore, because
our very structures of thinking have relied heavily on metaphors of
mechanism, we must find new metaphors of relationship in order to
extricate ourselves from the ecological crisis we face today. (Bateson
and Bateson 1987).
Embracing process orientation
If we look at a tree, let us say an old, spreading oak tree located
within a forest, we know that the tree is not just a thing, though our
English language names it such. If we understand the functioning
of the oak tree, we know from science that it is a multi-celled,
active, creative, changing system. The tree takes in nutrients from
the sun, soil and water and metabolizes them for its use. The tree
breathes. It takes in carbon dioxide and other elements from the air
and gives off oxygen. The tree is actually a self-organizing system of
processes, fulfilling the potential of the acorn from which it emerged
in interaction with the environment of the forest. It also hosts other
living systems in its roots, trunk, branches and leaves. Perhaps molds
grow on its roots, moss on its trunk and lichen on its branches. We
also see that the tree interacts with everything else in the forest.
German psychologist Jurgen Kriz (2006) points out that a
process-oriented understanding emphasizes reality as continually
changing complex systems of processes. The understanding of reality
as process offers a view of the world as an ongoing becoming. Kriz
points out that this view is based on awareness that the world is an
incredibly complex process, one in which we are intimately involved
and to which we contribute. This orientation is consistent with
systems theories that emphasize the complexity and relational nature
of reality.
Systems theory as applied to expressive arts work suggests that life
is a balance between process and ordering (Eberhart 2014). Eberhart
refers to a process orientation perspective on life as an adventure
into the unknown. He points out that all living beings, including