Capillary Waves in Fluid Dynamics (aka Ripples)

If you're wondering if this has suddenly become a physics blog, don't worry. It was just a way of grabbing your attention (I hope-it might just end up scaring people away). But if you've made it this far, bear with me and hopefully I can make some points that are worth sticking around for.

Another name for a "Capillary Wave in Fluid Dynamics" is a "ripple". Yep, like the things you see when you drop a pebble into a pond...they look something like this:

I have a degree in economics, and one of the things that I learned was that although we tend to think of actions having a cause and effect, most of the time it's more like an action has a cause, followed by an effect and another effect and another effect and another effect....in other words, ripples. Most of the time we're pretty good at predicting what the first ripple will be. But after that, we're not usually that good, which can lead to either unintended benefits or unintended problems. Either way, we're not prepared for the consequences of our actions. One of the areas where I see this happening a lot is in politics, especially when it comes to making policy decisions. We seem to be so focused on what the immediate results will be (and how it will benefit the person, party, bureaucracy, etc.) that we don't look past the first ripple. We also see this in our families, in our churches, our jobs, and our schools, etc.

Here are a couple of examples:

In 1990 a 10% luxury tax was placed on the sale of new yachts (after all, only the rich bought yachts, so they could afford it, right?). The intended consequence was an increase in tax revenue. In reality, here's the chain of events (ripples, remember?):

Tax passes

Price of yachts increases

People don't want to pay more for yachts

People stop buying yachts

Demand for yachts decreases

Manufactures of yachts stop building yachts

People who worked as yacht builders are laid off

Manufactures of yachts close their businesses

No new tax revenue from yacht sales

Loss of tax revenue from income of yacht builders

Increase use of existing tax revenue for unemployment benefits

Tax is repealed

The end result was almost the exact opposite of what was intended in the beginning.

Here's another example, this one about a man and a woman who got married, with the intended consequence of having a family. In reality, here's the chain of events:

A young couple gets married in Pennsylvania

They start a family

They decide to start looking at other churches/religions

They move to Iowa so that he can attend school

School and married life is expensive so he gets a job working at a restaurant

He meets a Mormon coworker and asks him about his church

He and his wife and small family meet with some Mormon missionaries

They make the decision to convert and be baptized

Their family continues to grow

They move to Illinois

A year after being baptized they make the long drive to Washington D.C. to be sealed as a family for time and all eternity

Their family grows, ending up with 6 sons and 2 daughters

Many of these serve missions, allowing others to gain the blessings of the restored gospel.

Their children get married and start families of their own and the ripples continue forever...

 Sometimes the end result is infinitely more and infinitely better than we could have ever expected.

We need to do everything in our power to anticipate the consequences of our choices, and act accordingly, but we also need to keep in mind that we are imperfect, and that we're going to mess up now and then with our choices, our predictions, and the end results. However, there is one person who knows the end from the beginning, who can perfectly see the infinite number of ripples resulting from our choices and actions, and who can help guide us through our journey here on earth, and that is our Savior.

Acts 15:18 "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world"

1 Nephi 9:6 "But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a was to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold, he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all his words. And thus it is. Amen."

 Abraham 2:8 "My name is Jehovah, and I know the end from the beginning; therefore my hand shall be over thee."

And for a more in-depth study of the "ripple effect" of choices, check out this collection of books by Laura Numeroff:

 

"If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"

"If You Take a Mouse to School"

"If You Take a Mouse to the Movies"

"If You Give a Pig a Pancake"

"If You Give a Moose a Muffin"

"If You Give a Dog a Donut"

"If You Give a Cat a Cupcake"

"If You Give a Pig a Party"