Flow+&+Structure

Over the past several years, I have found a simple set of concepts very useful in making sense of the world: flow and structure. Put very simply, flow is energy in motion and structure is energy that is not in motion. Motion is change. Structure is that which does not change (at least for the moment), but acts to channel the flow: that which does change. The last statement is pure abstraction. What are flow and structure in "real" life? Consider the following statements:
 * The roads determine where I can drive.
 * My beliefs determine what I will think about.

Structure can be something as concrete as a road or as ephemeral as a belief. In both cases, something isn't changing that determines what behaviors are possible. Structures are generally described by nouns. Flow is what happens...and happens...and happens...and is generally described by verbs. It's in the flow that we create the structures. But here's the rub. Nearly all of the structures in our lives have been created outside of our conscious control.