# cold feet (threshold)

*Ordinarily means:* to feel nervous and hesitate before committing to something

the parameter of willingness within a coupling drifts toward its lower wall so that the maintenance required to keep the coupling inside its window exceeds the available energy capacity, causing hesitation

- Computed level: L20 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: bonds and their maintenance

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [parameter](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-parameter.condition), [drift](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-drift.aimless), [wall](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-wall.range-end), [window](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-window.range), [maintenance](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-maintenance.upkeep), [energy](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-energy.capacity), [coupling](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-coupling.connection)

**Through:** as the willingness parameter drifts toward its wall, the upkeep needed to stay within the window grows beyond the energy capacity

**Novel properties:**
- insufficient maintenance margin

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*Canonical: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-cold-feet.threshold*  
*Structured data: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-cold-feet.threshold.json*  
*Every definition provably resolves to space, time, energy and pattern.*