Pendulum of Power

Summary

The article "Pendulum of Power" uses the metaphor of a pendulum to describe the historical struggle for social justice and the divine intervention that guides society towards equilibrium and peace.

Abstract

The "Pendulum of Power" metaphorically compares society's power dynamics to a pendulum's swing, illustrating the natural tendency towards equilibrium. It suggests that just as a pendulum eventually comes to rest, societal forces work to balance the scales of power and justice. The article reflects on America's history of racial injustice, where the exploitation of Blacks by some whites was legally and socially accepted. Over time, the article posits, divine intervention in the form of human striving for equity and justice has led to significant legislative changes, such as the Emancipation Proclamation, the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Despite progress, the pendulum continues to swing as society faces subtler forms of systemic oppression. The article concludes that true peace and social justice can only be achieved through divine guidance and cooperative human efforts.

Opinions

The author believes that the historical exploitation of Blacks in America was an unjust imbalance that required correction.
The article suggests that the Creator, or divine forces, intervene in human affairs to promote social justice.
It is implied that legislative changes, such as the Civil Rights Act, are manifestations of this divine intervention towards equilibrium.
The author views the election of descendants of slaves to high offices as evidence of the pendulum's swing towards social justice.
The article conveys that despite legislative progress, systemic issues like gerrymandering and discrimination in resource allocation persist.
The author is of the opinion that a country can only achieve peace when it is guided by divine principles and works collaboratively to address human inequities.

Striving Towards Social Justice

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

There is in creation a natural tendency of an object to reach a state of equilibrium. Consider a simple pendulum: a weight on the end of a string and the string is suspended from above. If it is moved in either direction and released, the natural force of gravity causes it to move in the opposite direction. It continues to move back and forth until it slows down and eventually stops — it has reached its state of equilibrium and rests.

The physical phenomenon observable in this simple pendulum can metaphorically describe the power relationships in society. If the weight represented the collective population then the movements right and left suggest two opposing economic and social ideological perspectives. Supporters of both points of view would like to maintain influence and control over society.

The total influence of one group over the other cannot be maintained indefinitely. A natural force intervenes to change this imbalance — the gravitational force in this example. The movement, right and then left, slows and eventually stops because gravity is constantly pulling the movement toward a state of equilibrium; rest and peace.

Gravity is a natural force in creation. In this scenario let’s think of it as Creation’s intervention, or Divine intervention, into an inequitable or unjust social condition.

When one group of people seeks to oppress the human potential of another, The Creator intervenes.

Historically in America, some whites exploited labor to acquire and maintain social and economic power. The inequitable, inhuman and unjust treatment of Blacks were of no concern to slave holders; laws and legislative agendas upheld this imbalance.

As time passed, the Creator intervened. The inherent human quality of equity and justice brought about substantial legislative change. Today we can see the manifestation of this pendulum movement toward equilibrium by the election of the slaves’ descendants to the highest offices in America.

But the process itself was long and arduous. The exploration of Blacks during slavery gave rise to the Emancipation Proclamation — a movement toward equilibrium. This in turn, spawned white supremacy efforts through segregation which was counterbalanced by the Supreme Court’s Brown vs. Board of Education decision in 1954. Not-with-standing, this legislation, de facto segregation continued and precipitated the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In today’s highly politically partitioned society, the pendulum still swings. Albeit more subtly, systematic disenfranchisement through gerrymandering, inequity in criminal justice and discrimination in the allocation of healthy family resources are in constant motion; those that have, want more even at the expense of the health and well being of others.

Just as gravity prevents the pendulum from remaining imbalanced, so too, does The Almighty prevent the continued oppression of any of His creatures. He pricks the consciousness in divinely inspired individuals and guides them to work cooperatively to correct human inequities. A country at peace can only be achieved when we are guided by The Divine and work cooperatively toward social justice.