Structures and Things

Consumption, loss and everlasting supply

The development of creation stems from the branches of growth, destruction, process, definition, creativity, need, desire, and consumption. We have been led and taught to believe that all of these things are somehow counter to living and the changing existence we refer to as life on this planet.

Building, machining, sculpting, forming, stacking, and bending materials to provide for human needs has existed as an activity since our inception. The world provides the necessary structure for us to achieve and strive. We excel in changing forms, from minute to minute and day to day. We create needs and demands to force our adaptation and maintained interest.

We are also taught that matter is neither created nor destroyed. However, contrary to that, we are presently taught that our resources are diminishing and that we consume too much, we waste energy, and that the planet suffers under the cycle of conversion from one form of material to another. It is more than likely that we create materials and products that greatly exceed the typical life-cycle of materials found naturally. The question becomes one of time and renewal.

In reality, energy and matter are converted, changed, merged, fused and expended in our lives. It is the process by which food is ingested, digested, and processed through the body system. This is the process for all living systems. We have unfortunately not learned the lessons of the millions of years of adaptive process developed by other systems on this planet. We create materials that cannot be processed effectively for their structure. We create foods that no longer provide any benefit to the body system. We create materials that are toxic to living species, including our own. We infuse our structures with materials that do not endure and require active maintenance.

Our process is developed by a variety of factors. Economy, availability, social demands, personal desire and profit. When balanced, these factors are not counter to viability, sustained progress and evolutionary product development. Counter to the belief in abundance and intelligent use, is the idea of loss. Loss is preceded by consumption and the perception that consumption engenders loss or lack.

What we have failed to learn is the entire process and consequences of our activity because we have divided the consequence from the utilization. There is no opportunity cost for having chosen one action, product or process over another. The creation process is allocated to one field, production to another, distribution to another, consumption to another, and waste management (post-processing) to a final. Each field lies separate from the other, and yet the actions of each is felt by the total population. We are not running out of anything. We are just not finding materials in the form that easily provides for our needs and rapid processing. We have water, metals, oil, wood, land, vegetation, air, and sunlight. They have not gone away.

The economic costs have just risen because we have spoiled the pot from which we take our needs for the appearance of success. Commercial success will not feed the soul, it will not house humanity’s continuity, and it will not purify our mistakes. No amount of perceived value, which is all the concept of ‘money’ is, will save us from our ignorance. It is a perception of value that is created by trust between ‘authorities’ and ‘consumers’ who deceive each other in to believing that each is in control of their economies. The true demands of the marketplace are often driven by locality and culture. Operating a successful venture depends heavily on sourcing, efficient processing, and a customer base that perceives value in your product and are willing to exchange their medium of value (money) for your labor and costs.

The new economy will be finding the means to process the materials and sources we have taken and converted. We are running out of virgin material, for now. The renewal process takes time and it seems we are too impatient to wait it out or to find alternate means for our success. We have been framed onto a runaway train, and mislead to believe that we cannot change direction. That is not truth. Change happens instantly. Change is choice. Choose with knowledge and understanding. You will discover an everlasting supply for generations to come.

Scarcity and Ingenuity

When there exists something needed and it is not present, what choices are there? The choices embody the person’s choosing and the environment that they find themselves in. Need is determined by an absence of an object, resource, or condition. Establishing need only mandates that no other object or condition exists to meet and satisfy the current conditions. Need surpasses desire. It is not something that you want, it is something more. Need is often conditional to the experience of the individual. They have come to believe that they need something specific and no other thing that will satisfy the present condition. The precept is that they know of no other thing that will satisfy their demands and therefore they need a something. What happends when what you perceive is not present? Your choice is to rely on ingenuity.

Ingenuity is often about changing your perception. The answer and solutions are there in front of you, just beyond your everyday perception. In design, we seek solutions that are just beyond our vision. This is akin to the “Kobayashi Maru” scenario (Star Trek reference) given to cadets. The test is primarily to gage a person’s response to conditions that provide for no direct solution based on our training and experience. When conditions exist that provide for no options, then there is need and it is a powerful motivator and a powerful restraint on our minds as well. When we need, we become fearful, desperate, anxious, and overly focused on the challenges that face us. It is the perception of scarcity and the further potential for loss that keeps us from finding alternatives. Change ‘need’ to ‘want’ through ingenuity. When there is something wanted, it is often easier to supply a variety of options that will satisfy some or most of our requirements. Scarcity of a need then becomes an abundance of alternatives.

Scarcity is a mindset. People who have resources (money, time, labor) at their disposal see their activities and options entirely different than people who lack resources. It is not because they have resources that sets their mindset, it is their mindset from the beginning that provides them the required resources. They have wants that are identified often as goals, plans, or dreams. They are focused today to move forward to tomorrow. They see past present needs that block their progress and reframe their vision to find the options that encompass their future wants. If water is your immediate need, and you’d have recognized this previously and would therefore plan for it by putting some aside or by drilling a well previously. Ingenuity involves planning and investment. You would invest in yourself through education, and would find stategies and methods to solve future challenges.

Have we failed to teach and embody these principles? I believe that asking individuals to rely entirely on the group provides for inherit weaknesses in the robust nature of groups. If the group begins from the same point, receives the same education and experiences, then where is the investment that provides for ingenuity? Groups are robust because of the varied experiences and education of its members. When scarcity strikes a group, it is because of a lack of vision and planning. The dynamic of groups who face challenges often degrades to a point where a few individuals decide and act for the group. Again this degrades the robustness of the group. While group dynamics offers many benefits, they are not suited to scarcity or ingenuity.

Scarce resources provide individuals and groups an opportunity to reframe their perception from a need to a want. This is not about having less or living with fewer comforts. This is about living and not being carried by a group without contributing. Being adrift on a great ocean is not living nor choosing. It is also important to make the decision. Someone else’s need is not necessarily the best for you. I won’t argue that certain aspects of living are not the same for all people. Beyond survival, there is civilization and culture, society and law. At the core of it is the individual choice and ingenuity. What else provides for greatness and quantum leaps forward except for scarcity and ingenuity?