The Foucault pendulum (foo-KOH), or Foucault's pendulum, named after the French physicist Leon Foucault, is a simple device conceived as an experiment to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth. While it had long been known that the Earth rotated, the introduction of the Foucault pendulum in 1851 was the first simple proof of the rotation in an easy-to-see experiment. Today, Foucault pendula are popular displays in science museums and universities. It is about an experience that I had with this pendulum that I direct my thoughts at you.
Background:
This week has certainly been an interesting one, perhaps even the most interesting week that I've had in years. I have been on an on-going adventure of figuring out who I am, what I want in life, and where I would like to end up. As part of this adventure, I am constantly taking both mental and physical notes of the things that interest me, help me, and make me a better person. I have discovered that certain thoughts come to me during the most random of times and in the most random of places and often, about the most random of things.
Build-up:
Last Thursday, I learned about a certain, highly-detailed personality test called the Myers-Briggs exam: "a personality assessment identifying your personality type, most popular job families and occupations, and 25 least popular occupations for your type." Of course, I felt that this would be an amazing tool to help me in my on-going search for purpose in my life and so I found a center that offered it for free.
Upon arriving at the front desk, I walked cautiously to where a middle-aged woman was staring intently at her computer screen. She was a bit overweight, wore bright red lipstick, and was dressed in vibrant, professional maroon-colored business clothes. When she noticed me approching, she hurried and clicked a few things on her screen as if she was really just playing an extreme game of spider solitaire and was attempting to hide it behind some important-looking spreadsheet that her co-worker emailed to her the week before. I glanced down at her name badge: "Judith." I thought to myself, "You know what? You look like a Judith. That name fits you....I wonder if my name fits me. I wonder if people could look at my name badge and say the same thing that I said about Judith." My train of thought was interrrupted as she blurted out some statement like, "Can I help ya with somethin' hun?" I then went on to ask a few questions about the Myers-Briggs exam and found out that I needed to take the test on my own computer and then bring the finished-exam code back to that very desk and they would print off my results; I would then be able to schedule an appointment with a Myers-Briggs specialist and hopefully find some answers to my on-going adventure questions. So, off I went to return back to my apartment where I could look up some additional information and hopefully be able to take the test in order to get my results back as soon as possible.
The Event:
One day, I noticed a small group of people (maybe three or four) that were huddled together, looking over the edge of the railing at something that was on the floor beneath them. Curiosity caused me to once again think to myself: "What are they looking at? What is down there?" Then, it quickly registered that I knew exactly what was at that specific location: it was a replica of Foucault's Pendulum (see introduction above).
Often, these types of pendula are accompanied with a number of small pegs surrounding the circular base: each placed a few inches apart from the others, thus causing there to be a "target", if you will, for the giant pendulum to knock over as it makes it's daily run around the entire circle; ultimately, showing itself as a replica of the Earth's rotation in space. From my past experiences of walking by this giant pendulum, I have been able to observe a few things. First, if the pendulum's position is nowhere near the point of contact with one of the pegs, people may glance at it, but will usually never stop to observe it closer. Second, is the opposite of the first point: if the pendulum is within centimeters of knocking one, if not two, of the pegs over, then people will usually stop whatever they are doing in order to be a witness of "the falling of the peg."
As soon as I registered in my mind what the small group of people were looking at, I automatically assumed that since they had stopped whatever it was that they were doing in order to watch the giant ball move back and forth, then it must be close to knocking over one of the pegs. Having already witnessed the 'miraculous' event numerous times before, I decided that instead of stopping to observe the pendulum, I would stop and observe the people.
The small group that I had originally noticed were the first to stop and watch. They were the creators of a simple chain-reaction: suddenly, two more people (a young couple) stopped across the way; two young girls (most definitely freshman) who were obviously new to the experience ran down the stairs to get close enough to take a picture with their phones; a tall, built, and bearded man leaned against one of the cement pillars. Just then, you could tell what time it was because, almost simultaneously, students piled out of a number of classrooms that surround the giant pendulum masterpiece.
The original group of three or four had grown to five or six (since a few of their friends or acquaintances stopped to see what the buzz was about) and they began to make noises like, "Ohhhh...that was so close! It's going to fall any second! Ahhh man!" Their comments and grunts caught the attention of even more people: a guy about the age of twenty-three was talking on the phone and as he walked by me I heard him say to whoever he was talking to, "Hold on a sec, I'm going to call you back." He hung up the phone, put it in his pocket and leaned across the edge of the railing in order to witness. Three transfer students from Asia-somewhere with their Hello Kitty backpacks and thick-framed glasses took their places on the far end to witness. I counted thirty-seven people.
Thirty-seven! Can you believe it?! Thirty-seven people that stopped walking to wherever they were walking; that quit talking to whoever they were talking; that quit thinking whatever it was that they were thinking; etc. Thirty-seven people that had finally "stopped to smell the roses." I thought to myself, "How long would any of them hold their places and continue to stand here if the peg did not fall within the next three minutes?" Suddenly, the peg wobbled ubruptly, but still did not fall; it was as if it knew its audience's desire and was deciding to tease and to taunt rather than to perform what it was supposed to. The giant ball swung back and then forward once more...wobble, wobble, wobble...clink! Finally, it fell!
I then watched very closely at the people's different reactions. The bearded man leaned off the post and went on his way without much emotion. The Asians smiled, which caused their eyes to squint even more, making their pupils completely invisible. The young couple actually grasped each other's hand a bit tighter in a sense of pride as if they just watched their newborn-son open his eyes for the first time. The twenty-three year old quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket and called back whoever it was that he put on hold. One of the two freshman girls actually ended up missing the actual falling of the peg because she had been playing with her phone.
Conclusion:
I stayed there until there was only one other person besides me remaining. She was a small, blonde haired girl: with her hair straightened and settling around shoulder length, a dark green backpack, and her eyes fixed intently on the swinging ball as if she wasn't satisfied with what had just happened. I do not know her story or what was going on in her head at that very moment...perhaps someday I'll run into her again and ask if she remembers.
But what an experience it was to watch people from all different backgrounds, lifestyles, countries, likes, dislikes, heights, weights, and sizes come together and join in with one single purpose in mind. Though simple, it was a purpose nonetheless. How different would things be if we as human beings would only train ourselves to consistently put ourselves in that frame of mind where everyone is equal? Where we all realize that we ultimately have the same, if not a similar purpose? Where we shut off our phones, get excited about the simple things in life, and focus on what's goin on around us? There would be no racism, hurtful criticism, wars, or even disputes of any kind. There would be a sense of face-to-face communication rather than through fingers pushing touch screens to send virtual text messages lacking emotion and tone. I believe that it would make life simple enough to stop...to notice... and to smell the roses along life's pathway.
Here's to the rose garden.
Cheers,
0 comments:
Post a Comment