Defining A System

Been up since 3:30am thinking about my work and how it relates to "permaculture" and "organic".  I re-read my last post and this jumped out:

"Soil" is a living mess --- it's own little system

I've inadvertently made this definition:

System - a living mess.

Since I really hope to go back to sleep, I will not go into it, but a couple things:

1. Can a living mess do large complex, highly precise, no tolerance for failure tasks?
2. How is a living mess directed to accomplish tasks?
3. Is a living mess better than a more sterile environment for accomplishing? How?  Why?
4. When is a mess, just a mess?

PS: I wonder if I'm thinking this way since I've lived with Kim for eighteen years :P

PPS: Dude, dude, dude - when is mess, just a mess -> when is a mess, not a mess?  I think I may know... and it actually is pretty deep -> when you can extract patterns... dang...