You're redundant.

Did you receive those words as a compliment or an insult?

We've been trained to hear this word "redundant" as a negative.

But in saying "You're redundant," I've just paid you a compliment that's based on one of the most essential features of life.

We hear redundancy as meaning repetitive, uninspired, not creatively useful. But for engineers and technicians, redundancy is a goal and an expression of grace.

Take electronics and information processing: systems must back up one another. Take structural engineering: supports must be designed with safeguards and second layers of strength and resiliency.

Redundancy means that safety, stability, flexibility, and endurance are built into a system. Unusual stress on a wall or ceiling is tolerated because redundant strengths are buil…