Glenn,

A large part of our cultural myopia is trying to frame everything as monolithic, in a dualistic reality.

Positive and negative charge. Top down, versus bottom up, liberal versus conservative, etc.

Consider that space has effectively two qualities; Infinity and equilibrium. Which is implicit in SR, as the frame with the fastest clock and longest ruler would be closest the overall equilibrium of the vacuum. The unmoving void of absolute zero. So think of it in terms of the number line, from zero to infinity.

Galaxies are energy radiating, toward infinity, as structure coalesces in, toward equilibrium. Both of which are entropic and neither of which actually reach their goal. So it's thermodynamic feedback loops.

We are just linear, goal seeking creatures, so we think in terms of one. The node, rather than the network.