In this financial crises plagued times, we (not you and me but all the others ofcourse) like to find quick and easy (dirty) ways out. We usually do this by finding places where it’s easy to cut something. After all, anything you cut doesn’t cost anymore, easy, isn’t it? Take the picture of the overhead cable as an example: the current (the energy) is only flowing in the central core. So the rest seems to be overhead. Why not just cut it? It only costs extra money?
Well, ask the real experts and they can explain all kinds of reasons why you should NOT cut the overhead from the cable. But why is it, we often seem to reason so simple? Why do we like to make abstraction errors by factoring out essential details that are part of the “whole”? I really don’t know. I guess it’s just being plain shortsighted. Driven by short term drivers like greed or anxiety of fear or status. But let’s not forget the original intended role of overhead. Because it’s there for a reason. The real reason is to protect the individual (the core in the wire), and not to protect the collective (the perceived abundance). So a good Overhead Value Analysis should better be a Protection Analysis. And be guided by very essential autonomy principles like: ‘you do things yourself (the core) unless there is good reason to have overhead (the mantle)’. Never forget to keep a good balance and know how to explain how the mantle and the core need eachother. Have a happy overhead protection shower!