Pendulum

The swing is constant. Earth’s rotation makes that possible, inevitable. The variable? Width of arc. From here to there is a distance constantly shifting. Even rotation shifts, little by little. The full 360-degree rotation will occur. Where did I learn this? Griffith Observatory in California. As a kid.

The pendulum was poised just above a round sand-filled space. The point of the pendulum suspended high above the floor, had a point that nosed the sand. We could see the arc traced in the sand. We could also observe how the pendulum’s track filled the sand’s circle over time.

Metaphor’s beckon. The arc – both length and pivot – mirrors the shift in public opinion. The arc also mirrors the shift in fashion, music, art, architecture and drama. The arts have an arc. So do politics. Domestic and foreign. Positive and negative, creative or reactionary, nations push and shove their way forward to influence others. But what does it gain them?

Reputation for one. That outcome is hard earned for many. Russia. Myanmar (Burma). Lebanon. Libya. Afghanistan. So many others in the running. Not at all a positive record. Some quite variable over time. Russia fits that category.

Human rights in focus most of the time. How are people of difference treated? Women. Elders. Children. Gays. Transgenders. Political opponents. Are they condemned and diminished? Or are they embraced, included, maybe even celebrated?

In war, are civilians killed, tortured, disrespected? Dumped in a garbage pit? Gunned down in the street? Apartment blocks attacked by missiles. Hospitals, too? Even schools? Why? What makes this possible. No one accepts this behavior. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, knows this is a crime against humanity. Just because you can do it doesn’t mean you should do it. Orders or not. Twisted mind or not.

This is just plain wrong.

Out of the fray we are challenged to live our routines. Is that a sacrilege in the face of what is happening elsewhere? Ukraine. China and her Uighurs?  Myanmar and her…? America and her indigenous nations?

No. it is not sacrilege for our routines to continue. We have work to do. It is positive. It is needed. It is the warp and woof of society. We continue to strive for outcomes needed by others.

Hospitals treat the sick and injured. They care for the dying and suffering. Schools teach life skills and values. Churches teach creeds and values. Art imitates life and helps all of us understand ourselves better. Caring for others and enhancing lives instills values hard to teach. Only the demonstration of good etches the lesson into our psyche.

This is why we continue to do. This is why each of us matters.

Keep doing, folks. The arc will recognize our impact on history. It will swing high and low, wide and far. It is inevitable. Good and bad co-exist. Perhaps to remind us?

April 7, 2022

 

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