Dissimilar, to Sacrifice, to the Same

If you press together two dissimilar types of metal and hold them in contact for any length of time in the presence of water, one metal will begin to steal electrons from the other.  This theft is something called galvanic reaction.  In more common terms we call this theft of atomic sub-parts corrosion.    

There is an actual attraction here, mind you, but this has a rather one-sided tenor about it.  In scientific terms, one metal becomes the anode, while the other assumes the role of cathode.   The cathode is the one that pulls the electrons.  The anode sacrifices electrons.

Cathodes build castles of themselves by robbing from all around them.  Much consideration is given to these relationships when constructing metal contraptions out in the elements.  As example, the metal anchor that fastens the river-crossing bridge to the metal imbeds at the concrete base at river’s edge will do far better if a cathode as opposed to an anode.

Something about achieving balance here—an attempt to balance “charges.”  Deeper than that, this is an attempt to settle between attraction and repulsion.   In a sense, almost everything in the universe is some product of attraction and repulsion.  Our use of electricity and magnetism might be too obvious an example.  But all things are either pulling or pushing against the thing immediately next to them. Think here in larger terms: Earth and Moon.

In some cases, atoms might actually settle the pushing-pulling dispute by sharing electrons.  In this way, they achieve a kind of peaceful (if not powerful) balance.  This is called covalent bonding.  In covalent bonding the atoms have locked their arms together and now steam ahead as a whole unit.  Joined together, they share the same space.

All around us, separate things are either locking themselves together or working to tear each other apart. 

This never stops.

Big things and little things.  

Metal things and people things.

Some form of balance must be struck.

--Mitchell Hegman

Note: I have written about this previously, but I am not opposed to an echo now and again…