My daughter and I visited the Virginia Science Museum in Richmond during her spring break. We were able to snap a few good pictures during our visit. I really like this one of Newton's Cradle. It took me some time to post something about this picture. I guess because I wanted to write something philosophical that may some how inspire the wonderful people who follow my blog. I definitely did not want this post to sound like a lecture on the Conservation of Momentum and Energy. FYI: Although required in high school, physics was something I avoided in college like the plague. I know we are all familiar with Newton's Cradle. We've seen one either in class, on an executive's desk or we may have even received one as a gift. Initially, we are a little intrigued at how this thing works. You swing the ball on one end, release it hitting the next ball. The force from that travels through the balls in the middle which causes the last one on the other end to swing outward. In order for this to work, each ball has to be equal in size and weight. Pretty straight forward and after a while, boring.
Let's defy the law for a second. We have on our cradle a diverse group of shapes of different sizes and weight. We pull back the shape on one end and release it; however, instead of the one shape on the end moving outward, other shapes are doing their own thing as well. In my eyes, this is more exciting than seeing the same thing happen over and over and over.
The difference between the two cradles is diversity. That is how our world is. Without diversity, life would be the same color, the same culture, the same music, the same movement--simply put BORING. Diversity brings a little excitement. God created us differently for that purpose. So as we travel along life's journey, let us embrace diversity. We need to rid ourselves of ethnocentric views and know that to embrace other cultures does not diminish our own. Let's face it, we are one big family and that makes the world a beautiful place.
