Contrary to what your mother may have told you, going in circles is sometimes a good thing. When it comes to our economy, it is actually a great thing.
Throughout history, society has built itself up by transforming raw materials into finished, usable products. This manufacturing process has always been linear in that:
Materials (sand, iron, gold, etc.) are evaluated for purpose and taken from nature.
Modified and refined as necessary, these materials are combined and recombined into the services and products we use every day, until…
Their usefulness to society wanes and the everyday products and services are disposed of in a heap of useless trash.