When idly driving down the highway or gazing deep into layers of rugged mountains, we inevitably encounter grotesquely massive iron towers. These are the terrifying transmission towers carrying ruthless ultra-high-voltage currents of hundreds of thousands of volts. However, if you persistently glare at the thick wires precariously hanging from these monstrous towers, you can discover a very bizarre and absurd fact. Unlike the polite appliance cords we commonly use at home or the ordinary wires scattered across street utility poles, these transmission lines do not have a single shred of rubber or plastic ‘insulating coating (shell)’ to tightly block the current from leaking out. They are simply left hanging as bare copper or aluminum lines.
Let’s cynically dissect today the secret of transmission engineering that prevents them from short-circuiting even when rain and snow pour crazily, and ensures that clueless birds landing in flocks are not electrocuted into roasted treats. And using the wires’ ‘tug-of-war (dip)’, which smart engineers calculate while tearing their hair out all four seasons, as an excuse, let’s track the balancing act of a business architecture. Along with picking up a hint on how we can finally shed that heavy, suffocating ‘persona’ Carl Jung talked about.
1. Air as a Natural Coating and the Curse of a Heavy ‘Persona’
What kind of disaster would unfold if you stubbornly tried to wrap rubber or plastic coating around terrifying ultra-high-voltage wires reaching 154,000 volts (154kV) or 345,000 volts (345kV)? To barely endure the murderous heat and electric field spouting from that immense voltage, the thickness of the coating would have to be dozens of times stupidly thicker than the wire core itself. Naturally, the weight of the wire would increase geometrically, eventually leading to a disaster where the transmission tower collapses like dominoes, unable to withstand the load for even a second. Moreover, the astronomical cost required to individually manufacture those thick shells would directly translate to a massive waste of national infrastructure.
So, shrewd transmission engineers executed a brazen and breathtaking reverse-engineering thought process. They simply utilized ‘air’, which generously and for free surrounds the Earth, as a natural insulator. In fact, air possesses quite respectable insulating capabilities, so as long as a proper physical distance is secured between high-voltage wires or between the wire and the iron tower, the current dares not flow by piercing through the air. The real reason transmission towers are bizarrely gigantic and wires hang at dizzying heights and wide intervals is the result of meticulous distance calculations to generously secure the insulating bandwidth of this free coating called air.
Looking at this psychologically, this rubber coating is eerily identical to the ‘persona’ (social mask) Carl Jung mentioned. Because we hate being hurt or want to look plausible to others, our society coerces us into layering heavy, thick rubber masks over our ego. However, the heavier we build these defenses, the more our internal iron tower collapses miserably under the weight into depression or burnout. True masters don’t put on heavy shells; instead, they cleverly control the ‘psychological distance (air)’ between themselves and others to protect themselves.
2. The Cold ‘Potential Difference’ Where Sparrows Survive and Eagles Fry
Then why on earth is it completely fine for a bird to sit fearlessly and chirp on a bare, blue wire without any coating? It is because of the extremely opportunistic nature of electric current. Current flows opportunistically from a high place to a low place only when a clear ‘difference in voltage (potential difference)’ exists. When a little sparrow places both feet demurely and sits quietly on a single wire, the voltage difference between its two feet is close to zero (0). Therefore, current does not flow through the bird’s body, miraculously keeping it safe.
However, the moment an eagle with a massive wingspan strikes a pose to land, and unluckily gets one of its wings slightly touching a grounded iron tower or another adjacent wire, the story turns brutal. At that exact instant, a massive potential difference pops with a bang across its body, and the majestic eagle turns into a handful of blackened ash in 0.1 seconds.
The secret to avoiding short-circuits when it rains like crazy is thanks to a porcelain flowerpot-shaped component called an ‘Insulator’ that cunningly connects the wire and the iron tower. To prevent the horrific scenario where rainwater streams down and continuously connects the iron tower and the wire into a channel of water, the insulator is designed in a twisted, discontinuous structure overlapping multiple corrugated umbrella shapes. It is a thorough physical isolation architecture designed so that water droplets flow down and inevitably break apart.
The psychology between people is no different. When we engage in ‘projection’ in the realm of the unconscious, we invariably end up like the fried eagle. If you firmly stand on your own line (boundary), you won’t get emotionally stripped. But the moment you meditatively extend your psychological wings into someone else’s emotional line or reality’s iron tower out of nosiness, a massive psychological potential difference occurs, and your mentality turns to ash. Just like the insulator on a rainy day, a corrugated, discontinuous boundary line is strictly necessary between people so that useless emotional rainwater doesn’t mix.
3. The Fierce Mental Tug-of-War: Finding the Optimal ‘Dip’
One of the physical variables that transmission engineers calculate with the most bloodshot eyes and precision is the ‘Sag/Dip’ of the wire. Dip refers to the peculiar length by which a wire sags below the horizontal line between transmission towers.
Wires made of metal cannot help but be slaves to the law of thermal expansion. In the dead of summer with air conditioners blasting, when power demand spikes and an immense current pours inside the wire, the wire’s temperature skyrockets wildly close to 100 degrees Celsius. Because it gets hot, it naturally expands and sags ungracefully downward. Conversely, when a bone-chilling, biting cold wave strikes in winter, it contracts out of fear, pulling as tight as a bowstring.
What would happen if engineers stubbornly clamped the dip too tight? A disaster would unfold in winter where the iron tower fails to withstand the fierce tension of the wire and collapses, or the taut wire snaps cleanly. Conversely, what if they get scared and let it hang too loosely? In summer, the heat-expanded wire touches ground trees or tall trucks running on the highway. That triggers a massive blackout on the spot. Meticulously predicting these extreme contraction and relaxation cycles across all four seasons and brilliantly finding the optimal buffer zone (dip variable) with the most perfect balance is the true essence of transmission engineering.
4. The Flexible Business Coordinator Who Sheds the Shell
The brazen and sophisticated principle where transmission towers boldly shed cumbersome shells, firmly trusting in air as a natural defense barrier while securing safety through thorough distance calculations, and precisely adjusting the wire’s tension (dip) according to the seasons—this is eerily and perfectly aligned with the operational strategy of a solopreneur.
When running a business, what happens if you obsess excessively over manuals or standardized rules (shells) like an old-school boss and build up your system with heavy-handed weight? It will stupidly collapse, failing to endure the harsh weight of external market changes. If you firmly grasp the core skeleton called inner competence, you must sometimes ruthlessly kick away empty formalities and conventions. And you must generously secure a flexible buffer zone (dip) to sponge up external harsh market shocks and wildly shifting trend changes to survive.
Secure your own brazen business coordination ability that maintains perfect tension without getting scared between success and risk. Only an entrepreneur who refuses to break by standing stiffly and masters the precarious balance of flexibility and toughness will stoutly build a powerful energy supply chain that never breaks amidst any rough storm.
✨ starsign16
Do you have the courage to shed the superficial, pretentious shell visible to the eye and confront the raw energy of the unconscious flowing deep within your mind? The journey to precisely set the psychological distance (air) surrounding you and find your own unique mental tension (dip) that remains unshaken even amidst a fluctuating reality. Based on Jung’s depth psychology and astrological data, ‘starsign16’—which solidly tunes your original ego—designs the most powerful and flexible business skeleton of your own, replacing heavy and cumbersome defensive barriers.
Leave a Reply