Nov. 03: #punchcardlipo - The Pendulum

[eseyffarth]

Imagine, if you will, a pendulum, hanging from the ceiling, and swinging gently.
Is it going back and forth over a pile of sand, drawing patterns in its surface?

I saw an installation like this on a school trip to a science museum, years ago.
The weight at the end of the rope moved a bit slower than I would have expected…
How did the pendulum swing so slowly, did gravity somehow not fully apply to it?

I loved the predictable, almost (but not quite) circular motion of the pendulum.
Why was there such comfort in watching the pendulum follow a predetermined path?

Maybe we yearn for a clear path around a single point of focus in our own lives.
Maybe we don't have to move forever forward, outdo ourselves, surpass our peers…
Maybe it's okay to find one point of focus that we can then steadily home in on.