稳定不是静止 / Stability Is Not Stillness

Author: Dexin Kong
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-3831-5725
Structured and refined with assistance from ChatGPT
AI Automatic Translation (Unreviewed)

Background

In the discussion Drift Is Not Exciting, it was mentioned that:

“Drift” may be unavoidable, but it does not necessarily mean a system will lose control.

This raises a question:

If drift naturally exists in long-running systems, why are some systems able to remain stable for long periods of time, while others gradually begin to lose stability after operating for a while?

Discussion

If a system is viewed as a ship, humanity invented anchors a very long time ago.

As long as the anchor has not broken loose, the ship will not drift away completely.

But in reality, a ship does not become perfectly motionless simply because an anchor has been dropped.

Waves, wind, and ocean currents continue pushing the ship away from its original position.

Most of the time, the ship keeps moving back and forth around the anchor point.

In other words, the true purpose of an anchor is not to stop all movement entirely, but to prevent the ship from drifting too far away.

This is the “secret” behind why many systems are able to remain stable over long periods of time.

However, once an anchor is dropped, does that mean the ship is truly safe?

Sometimes, the anchor itself breaks loose. This can be understood as a “loss of anchoring capability.”

Sometimes, the anchor still exists, but can no longer provide enough holding force. This can be understood as “anchoring degradation.”

If people fail to notice that something has gone wrong with the anchor, the ship may slowly drift farther and farther into the open sea without anyone realizing it.

This phenomenon can be described as “de-anchoring.”

But an important distinction must be made:

A ship drifting does not necessarily mean it has already become “de-anchored.”

Even when a ship experiences “anchoring degradation” or “loss of anchoring capability,” it does not immediately enter a “de-anchored” state.

A ship only truly becomes “de-anchored” once it has drifted beyond its original “safe operating range.”

This is because many systems still possess inertia, buffers, and short-term stabilizing structures, preventing problems from appearing immediately.

But it is also important to recognize that the “safe operating range” itself is not fixed forever.

Just like sailing across the ocean, sometimes the sea is calm, sometimes storms arrive, sometimes waves become violent, and sometimes hidden reefs lie beneath the surface.

Therefore, the long-term stability of many systems ultimately depends on some form of “anchoring” capability that keeps the system operating within its safe operating range.

Note:
This project is an ongoing independent research effort developed in spare time.
Some concepts and terminology may continue to evolve over time.
The English version may contain translation inaccuracies or semantic deviations.
The Chinese version remains the primary semantic reference.