Domain

Remarks

Niche

• Niche is the idealised focal point at the instantaneous state of being
• The peripheral, non-critical, unnecessary are not in focus, but still within circumspection
• Hence, the simplistic rule-of-thumb:
• Jack of All, Master of One
• However,
• The niche needs to be made aware of, its properties understood & its variations tracked, before the individual can realise own niche
• Thus,
• The need for niche realisation theory

Variations of niche

• Even though the niche is unique for an individual at any one instant,
• The niche is not a static notion
• It has the characteristic property of continuous variations over circumstances
• The only constant is change
• An individual that refuses to recognise this is ignorant
• An individual who keeps on wishing some dream states to exist & continuously occur would violate this worldly nature
• The continuous variation or dynamic nature of the environment is an inherently natural phenomenon
• Thus,
• As the environment keeps changing,
• & the niche depends on the following 3 factors:

1. Individual attributes: internal characteristics
2. Environmental attributes: external characteristics
3. Interactions between individual and environment

• Since the environment would affect the niche,
• Changes in the environment would change the niche
• Hence,
• Continuous variation of the environment leads to continuous variations of the niche depending on the coupling interactions

Direction of niche

• If flowing with the natural changes of the world is harmonising, nurturing & constructive
• Then resisting the nature is non-harmonising, disrupting & destructive
• As the niche is fundamentally to be in sync with the environment,
• It is to be harmonising, nurturing & constructive
• Hence, resistance by itself violates this nature of niche, thus termed false niche
• If the niche can analysed as a vector with the 2 attributes of magnitude and direction,
• When one only recognises the magnitude of the niche vector and disregards its direction,
• There is the tragedy of settling onto the false niche (negative direction), instead of the true niche (positive direction)
• So, be vigilant & maintain balance & continuity: 兩腳蹋兩船

Tracking of niche

• As the niche is continuously changing in magnitude & direction,
• It needs to be targeted & followed closely by the individual
• In other words,
• The individual needs to track the niche
• If the niche can be formulated into a continuously varying reference w.r.t. to the harmonics of life,
• Then the tracking of the niche is as good as using the unity feedback configuration to determine the desired outcome of niche-matching

Niche fitness

• Tracking of niche can become too mechanical to some,
• An alternative to reaching the niche through fitness determination,
• i.e. how well the state of being attained matches the niche ideal
• 3 ways have been proposed: learning styles, active experience & interactions
• An important aspect is that the individual has to personally try it

Focus on the interactions of the following:

• Goods and bads
• Up's & down's
• Understand what we wish to do
• We can do
• We are willing to do
• The chances to do: opportunities
• There are two aspects here:

1. 謀事在人 Self-created: for situations that the individual is comfortable, confident & experienced in - active sourcing for chances
2. 成事在天 Open-hearted: the individual understands the infinite complexity & uncontrollability of the reality; under the lack of infinite time & resources, with sometimes overwhelming constraints; means that being active would only mean running 400m, come back sweating & absolutely nothing useful done - violates the First Law of Research; being active means being exhaustive, hence the individual settles down snugly into his routine niche, seemingly passive & retarded from the exterior, but internally, the individual is waiting eagerly - the individual knows circumstances are now greater than own capacity, hence, he waits; he goes into semi-active mode 半動狀態; being open-minded to all & every thing, man & methodology; he does not reject them due to past experiences, nor accepts them due to past knowledge … he attempts to reverse himself, to see the other sides of the problem, with open-hearted perspective

• Thus,
• Niche fitness is derived from learning styles, active experience & interactions 謀事在人, 成事在天

Potential equivalence

• Potential 潛能 is to nature what niche 定位 is to nurture
• The former is 先天, the latter is 後天
• To reach our potential is good as reaching our niche
• To realise the niche is equivalent to realising the potential
• As the niche is determined by the fitness,
• The potential can also be measured by the fitness level

Chained processes of niches

• As the niche is only dynamically unique,
• Over circumstances, one niche would transform into another
• Hence, this forms the linked transition from one niche to another formed by the following 2 chained processes:

1. Current niche: source for the current niche found; focus on this niche, but maintain general relationships with peripheral issues - Jack of All, Master of One; & maintain this niche state for as long as it is open for the individual
2. Niche transition: with the world affairs now; we can see clearly that the world is a crudely changing one - the only constant is change; however, people always hope for some dream state to happen & occur continuously, but an engineer does not work with any unrealistic situation, hoping that a niche found would always statically be there for a person is the worst engineering disaster; the ignorant engineer of course would choose to defend, but a true engineer would give up & quietly move on

• The transition of niche is equivalent to the hydraulics:

1. Turbulent layer transition: an abrupt shift & change, where there are lots of changes, pains & agony, resulting in large energy dissipation; what has been painstakingly built up over the previous niche is now being eroded right in front of the eyes of the engineer; the engineer realises that he is not the king of his niche, but a lowly pawn of circumstances - the engineer needs to quickly internalise this state of affairs
2. Laminar layer transition: a gradual shifting & changing, with internalisation of the current state; the engineer goes into niche-finding mode again & flows along with the current, but not blindly passively following, only semi-actively waiting or creating for his new niche
3. Wake transition: once bitten, twice shy 吃一塹, 長一智, having encountered all this & internalise & generalise it permanently, the engineer engages in his new niche with open-heart

• Hence,
• An individual's state of being is formed by the basic configuration of transition-niche-transition
• The individual transits into the niche, and transits out when the niche is closed, thus forming a uniquely-chained process for an individual

定位開發理論

• Now the time is ripe to form the niche realisation theory
• Aim: to realise or nurture or cultivate the niche potential of an individual entity
• Any individual would require the niche as the focal point of instantaneous living
• Where the niche exhibits uniqueness, individuality, continuous variations
• The direction of niche is harmonising, nurturing & constructive
• The magnitude of niche is defined by fitness, determined by learning styles, active experience & interactions 謀事在人, 成事在天
• Potential 潛能 is to nature what niche 定位 is to nurture
• An individual's state of being is formed by the basic configuration of transition-niche-transition through the chained processes of niche and transitions: turbulent, laminar & wake

2 extreme levels

• There are 2 extreme levels to the niche realisation theory
• Individual: to realise an individual's own niche potential, that is continuously varying with circumstances
• Macro-level: encompasses more than one individual, the aim is to realise the potentials of its members
• e.g. in our society, the authorities would shape & influence in such a way as to uncover sufficient niches of quality & depth to ensure that its members (people & engineers) can find their way towards their niches
• The individual level is to local-level what the macro-level is to global-level