What does the system want?

The systems we live in are unsustainable… a bit fucked-up. Some don’t seem to serve life but to destroy life. Capitalism is a favorite example. 

Some people say we need to change ourselves because we are the system. Some people say we need to change the system. 

The system is an emerging property. It is more than the sum of its parts. If the system is more than the sum of its parts, how can we change it? Even if the system consisted of humans only, we wouldn’t have the power to change it because it has grown into something more than us. It has agency in and of itself. Changing systems is not a solely human endeavor, but the system herself needs some willingness to change.