WIND

The invisible force as light as a breeze or as powerful as a hurricane. It brings relief on a hot day or destroys an entire trailer park in Nebraska.

Wind. The wind as we know it is caused by differences in pressure, the rotation of the planet and the temperature. For a good part of human history, it was used to power trade and exploration. It has been used (and is continuing to be used) for energy and its knowledge is a necessity for any athlete who works with (or against) it.

Its destructive nature comes not just from tornadoes, hurricanes and typhoons, but in sand storms which halted the North African Campaign during World War II. It also powered hot air balloons and was behind the beginning of the pursuit of human flight.

In ancient times, it was essential to existence as one of the four elements.

In English though, wind has another meaning. The winding of a clock or a music box initiates forward motion either in time or music. A baseball player winds up a pitch, a guitar player winds up a string, a person can "wind up" in a place or situation after a series of fortunate (or unfortunate) events.

This dual nature of wind as a force independent of human nature and a verb enacted by human beings could say as much about the language as it could about the possible essence of our existence. What does it mean to have a force so strong it could destroy countrysides (as in the volcanic winds and smoke which overtook Pompeii), yet something which can be created by blowing air through the lips?

It's a most puzzling paradigm and we look forward to exploring it with you in this month's ERGO.