What makes a system whole? I believe that it is the strength of the connections that make a system whole. Technically there must only be one whole (= everything) The parts within it are continually merging with each other to create new temporary wholes. The whole is in continual flux. What about a merger of two systems? Do the component systems have to be whole first or can the connections between them create the wholeness? My experience with horses is that this is the case over time. What are the signs that a system is whole? I think it is harmony. Could this be beauty to the beholder? How is wholeness lost? When the connections in the system are stressed. This is particularly apparent in transitions. Transitions challenge the balance of the system and can throw it out of harmony. Are we seeing a whole? There is the elephant with the blindfolded men naming the parts to be something they already know but none know the entirety. We often see small arcs of bigger circles. What shapes are whole? Are straight lines whole? It seems to me that circles are uniformly whole. Is this why the realisation of a feedback loop is so powerful? Am I whole? The characters within me see the world from many different perspectives. How can they all feel included and connected. Then we have harmony. Then I am whole.