The Potter’s wheel: Connecting Community building, Homeomorphism, Topology and Transformational innovation for collective liberation.
You might wonder what I am about to talk about and how these various concepts connect. Well, join me in my curiosity.
As a community organiser, I spend a lot of my time listening, engaging, supporting and studying young people. One thing we are always trying to figure out is how to innovate.
As a result of my study, I came across a fascinating concept in maths that I believe should be taught in every design thinking and problem-solving session. The idea is called Homeomorphism and Topology.
PS: I am not an expert in these subjects, and my thoughts are just arguments and hypotheses subjected to review.
I will start by defining some basic terms:
Topology has to do with the properties of shapes preserved under continuous deformations like stretching, twisting, crumpling, and bending; that is, without closing holes, opening holes, tearing, glueing, or passing through. This definition might look confusing, so I will explain what topology tries to study. It tries to study the properties of shapes that remain the same regardless of their transformation.
Homeomorphism is called continuous transformation, a form of topology (topological property).
I know I have been talking about many things that people in my career field might not be used to. Still, these terms are essential in helping us understand transformations and innovations.
A plastic shaped like a doughnut can be remoulded into a human-like toy or a cup. It all depends on what we want to get out of it, but it does not make it less of a plastics. I am attaching some illustrations to show us the concept of transformation that topology and homeomorphism try to explain.
The solution to every problem is in the problem itself.
In topology, the deformation of a shape provides another shape, and the deformation of that shape gives another form that can be remoulded into the original condition if adequately studied.
As problem solvers and community builders, we need to understand the solution to the challenges we face are not imported and they will come from the challenges. All we need to do is practice homeomorphism to understand the different states of the problem and how a solution might come out of the problem.
We all want transformational leadership, transformational innovations and everything, but we need to remember that the solution to continuous transformation is to keep looking at things from different angles, perspectives and deformations.
Just like potters who mould objects with clay, you keep rolling the wheel, keep moulding the clay in your hands until you get the transformation you want.
So I ask you, what is in your hands, and how are you transforming it?
