It is a drowsy, cloudy, rainy Sunday, and I have turned on the TV
to get the weather. Listening to the forecast reminds me of the
heavy storms
that have battered our continent in the recent past.
Houses and people were washed away, with many deaths.
This is one more reminder that
"many a mickle makes a muckle",
but of a different type than I had in mind. Raindrops add up.
Lately, I have been hearing from relatives who have been influenced
by my advice to them, my advice from
The Richest Man in Babylon,
to put away at least 10% of income, never to be spent
but to be invested very carefully. As time goes by, taking few or
no chances, you will become better off, maybe very much so.
Begin young, and your "mickle" will indeed become a "muckle".
Populations are like this, including human populations; the effects
of a few more being born than dying, or vice versa, can be profound.
Tip the balance
slightly in one direction, and the population
can alter drastically. If it grows, we have pressure
on land, transportation systems, food supply, and health services.
If it shrinks, we may choose to increase immigration to compensate,
with accompanying changes in religious mix, labour relations, crime,
sports, and more.
In a similar way, gradual geological changes, like grains of sand
deposited as a river curves and slows, result in vast volumes
of material being spread over great sedimentary plains.
To say it again, "many a mickle makes a muckle". And to back up
a couple of paragraphs, put some money away, now and often.
