Quote of the Day - 03/15/2012

The Mississippi never lies at rest. It rolls. It follows no set course. Its waters and currents are not uniform. Rather, it moves south in layers and whorls, like an uncoiling rope made of a multitude of discrete fibers, each one following an independent and unpredictable path, each one separately and together capable of snapping like a whip. - John M. Barry in Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America

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John Barry’s imagery of the Mississippi River reminds us that it is ultimately untamable; our influence has limits and a high price (both for the creation of levees and channels…and for their occasional failure). Have you seen the model of the river at Mud Island in Memphis? The panorama of life and commerce along the length of the river is portrayed…and the enormity of this river ‘snapping like a whip.’

Notice that this quote focuses on the river alone rather than the natural systems that provide the context for the river. It’s a simplifying assumption we often make because the natural system (or system of systems) seems too complex to consider. Perhaps it is still impossible to understand those systems well enough to be 100% accurate in our predictions of what will happen when we seek to control some aspect as the Mississippi ‘moves south in layers and whorls.’ It is important to consider as much of the system as we can to avoid an unpleasant surprise like 

• Fish dying,
• Farmland not getting replenishment of soil nutrients or
• Proliferation of invasive plants/animals. 

Instead of starting from the perspective of ‘how do we control the river’ we should think instead of how we utilize the natural ‘system of systems’ (that includes the river) in a way that sustains the benefits for ourselves, our children, our grandchildren….and onward into the future.