When I was in the sixth grade I went on a class field trip to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The FI had some amazing exhibits. One I particularly remember was called the Foucalt Pendulum. A huge ball hanging from the ceiling moved back and forth in a pattern that seemed unpredictable to me. On the floor beneath the ball was a circle of pins, as the ball swung from side to side the pendulum occassionally knocked over a pin.
What made this such an amazing exhibit to me was that the force behind the pendulum was the earth. As the earth rotates it’s energy is transmitted through the pendulum. The result is a predictable pattern as the pendulum constantly swings from one extreme of the circle on the floor to the other.
Pendulum’s are used as a metaphor for extremes. In the church, in politics, in society, (and more) we tend to swing from one side of an issue to another. This blog is an introduction to my thoughts regarding some of those swings.
