Seattle Home Inspector's Blog

     Can anything really “spiral out of control?”

     It sure seems so.

     What do we mean when we say things are “spiraling out of control?”  I am sure there are times when the concept of spiraling out of control has validity----like the circumstances that led to the Titanic not having enough time to turn before it side-swiped the iceberg.  In the physical world there are all kinds of examples like this.  But if we dissect these events they are merely playing out natural forces like: "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."

     I am talking more about the “non-physical” areas of our lives that seemingly spiral out of control.  Sometimes these circumstances have a physical component, but generally, “spiraling out of control” means that things are not going in the direction we want them to----or are used to----or the way we "expect."

     But isn’t it all a matter of perspective?  Sometimes it is ALL about perspective.  Examples of this can be seen in individuals that do not see that their circumstances are merely different sides of the same coin.  When people find themselves spiraling down this kind of drain, they simply have to “act” to change the spiral (assuming there is no physical component like Crystal Meth).  Take for example this spiral stairs.  Whether you look at it from above,

or from below,

it is all a matter of perspective as to which is better. 

     One shows the way to go down----the other shows the way to go up.  Neither is better than the other----and equally useful at one time or another. 

     However, other times, it is more the case that one person’s misfortune is another person’s windfall.  I think it is pretty logical to have issues with people that are able to manipulate circumstances so that they seem to have “control” over the lives of others.  We see this every day all around the world as our current economic situation makes “adjustments”----or worse.

     Ironically, the total amount of money on the planet has not changed dramatically----not counting what is being printed every day, because that money should “theoretically” increase the total amount.  The problem appears to be that it has been distributed to places where it has “solidified”----frozen like that iceberg that the Titanic hit.

     In fact the money supply can in many ways be equated to the earth’s total water supply.

     The total amount of water on the planet doesn’t change much (All 336 million cubic miles of the stuff).  Some areas have too little and other areas have too much----these are “distribution” issues----people generally can move from areas that have either too much or too little.  Historically this does happen, and civilizations have come and gone or relocated based on water supply---either from too much (New Orleans, hint, hint)----or from too little (Acoma, hint, hint).   Much of the  water on the planet stays liquid----oceans, rivers, lakes, rain etc----and circulate around the planet in an endless cycle of evaporation, rain, puddles, evaporation, rain, puddles, evaporation etc.  Some of this precipitation comes down as snow, which builds up and forms ice---which sits there---sometimes for tens and hundreds of thousands of years.  When this happens distribution has been GREATLY s l o w e d   d o w n.  During the ice age tremendous amounts of water becomes trapped.  This water may still be slowly evaporating and melting---but not at a pace necessary for adequate distribution to where it is needed.

     Isn’t this a bit like what is going on now with money?    Isn’t the glacier actually getting larger?  Isn't the next Ice Age coming?  Is even the little bit of the iceberg that is melting and evaporating still not going where it is needed?  Instead it is being sponged up and taken away by the few people lucky enough to have ice melting equipment.

Charles Buell

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