Great extended analogy. Another physics-related way to think of an inherently destabilized system nearing dissolution, such as an addict or locus of suburban shit-sprawl like Atlanta, is to imagine a vibrating string experiencing a greater and greater transvese amplitude thanks to additive external forces. Unless the mechanial system on which this wave is mapped is almost infinitely elastic, it will break under shear or other stresses. This model could explain a lot of the apparent civic bonanzas that later prove harbingers of blight, increased crime, citizen resentment, etc.
The principles at play at string theory or a running 5K or maintaining an empire are the same: an excess of energy/heat/mass inevitably causes a system to buckle under its own energetic requirements. Sustainable systems require energy consumption and production parity. Right now, extractive systems--whether it's a lithium mine or shady overseas labor--rob resources from the past and future to satisfy the current, and sundry, desires of today's sophisticated consumer.
This is so brilliant I really have no response.
Great extended analogy. Another physics-related way to think of an inherently destabilized system nearing dissolution, such as an addict or locus of suburban shit-sprawl like Atlanta, is to imagine a vibrating string experiencing a greater and greater transvese amplitude thanks to additive external forces. Unless the mechanial system on which this wave is mapped is almost infinitely elastic, it will break under shear or other stresses. This model could explain a lot of the apparent civic bonanzas that later prove harbingers of blight, increased crime, citizen resentment, etc.
The principles at play at string theory or a running 5K or maintaining an empire are the same: an excess of energy/heat/mass inevitably causes a system to buckle under its own energetic requirements. Sustainable systems require energy consumption and production parity. Right now, extractive systems--whether it's a lithium mine or shady overseas labor--rob resources from the past and future to satisfy the current, and sundry, desires of today's sophisticated consumer.