This document discusses using metaphors to understand globalization. It states that prior to globalization, people, things, information, and places faced barriers that made movement difficult over time. It introduces the metaphor of liquidity to describe the increasing ease of movement in the contemporary world. Liquidity refers to a lack of barriers and burdens, allowing free movement like a liquid taking the shape of its container. Globalization has increased liquidity by making people, ideas, industries, and forces around the world more flexible and mobile to communicate, travel, and adapt to changes.