People are like Pendulums

Resonance describes the phenomenon of increased amplitude that occurs when the frequency of a periodically applied force is equal or close to a natural frequency of the system on which it acts. It's like pushing a swing at just the right rate, building and building in eight with each subsequent push. Or a pendulum swinging that one pushes at just the right moment. One can determine this moment, the pendulum's natural frequency by the natural properties of said pendulum. For a pendulum this depends solely on its length, every pendulum with the same length will have the same frequency.

We can take, for example, several pendulums, metronomes, for instance and place them on a moving platform. If we were to set off one of these pendulums, ticking from side to side, we might start to notice the platform sway gently. It will sway in time to the metronome, moving the others from side to side in time, all of which have the same natural frequency, and thus resonance occurs. This builds the motion of said pendulums, moving side to side, and each reinforcing the other.

But how to expand this? If one were to take several pendulums, metronomes, for instance, and set them off at all different times on a moving platform what would we see? This chaos will not remain that way for long, pendulums like to fall in line with one another, you see. The average motion of the pendula is transferred to the platform, swaying side to side. As the platform sways the chaos quietens, and over time each pendulum, as they all have the same length fall in time, ticking and tocking, swaying and rocking. Simply put, pendulums like to fall in line with one another, chaos falls, and order rises. Pendulums are built to keep time, which means they all really want to do the same thing- and once they are able to do so they will continue. The more they fall in line, the more difficult it is to fall out of it. All it takes is small movements, a compound of small movements so drag the chaos into order. Because it's just much easier to let pendulums fall in line, and once they are in line, it's so difficult to fall out.

But why is this relevant? It's because in a similar way, people are like pendulums. They tend to just fall in line. When several people are walking together, they tend to sync step. They don't want to be left behind, they don't want to feel out of the community. So they sync up, they just follow the others. They keep step together, because it's much easier to follow that it is to take one's own path.

If one were to put hundreds of people on a moving platform, then one would see something incredible. It only takes a few people, a few individuals to give in to the order. Because order spreads so quickly, because people, like pendulums just want to follow. It only takes a few because soon their environment mimics them- the platform sways and the people follow. The environment mimics the people, the people mimic the environment. All chaos, descending to order. Because it's much easier for people to fall in line. It's much easier to follow than to think for themselves. It's simple physics, there isn't or wasn't ever really any choice in the matter. Because people are like pendulums, they just want to follow. Ticking, tocking, swaying and rocking. One they start to fall in line, it's just so much more difficult to fall out. Once they start to give in a little it's just reinforced by everything around them. The more one gives in, the faster they fall.

People are like pendulums, they just like to follow. As their environment moves them, they move their environment. Dragged into an overwhelming order, because once they fall in line, its just so difficult to fall out of line. Ticking and tocking, swaying and rocking. It's simple physics, it's entirely inevitable, and that's okay.

That's just because people are like pendulums, the just want to give in.

We are now, slowly, steadily going to let you come out of trance, feeling full of happiness and confidence, joyous about this top tier physics lesson.

Rising all the way out for me on the count of 5.

Coming all the way out for me in:

5

Rising slowly and steadily in,

4

More and more in,

3

Almost all the way in,

2

And wide awake in,

1

Awake.