Bernie wrote: I am of the opinion that it has become a very simple matter of 'sustainability.'

As a tangent to Bernie's discussion, I note that implied in a statement that something isn't "sustainable", is the value given to "sustainability", or conversely, "that something that is not sustainable is undesirable".

Without getting too corny, is the beauty of a warm summers day any less beautiful or desirable because it doesn't last 365 days?

Often the value of impermanence is the ability to establish a glimpse, or insight into an alternative. Transferring this metaphor to the virtual environment, I feel there is value in some of the transience that we experience, because through transience comes refinement and development.

Without experiencing what doesn't add value, comes an insight into how to add value. Stability or sustainability over time isn't a necessary condition of adding value since people can obtain value on their way to a longer term destination. Our time in high school, for example, was a status that is not sustainable (for us as individuals) yet it provides unquestionable value.

(If this sounds like an apology for Chaos Theory then it is not meant to).