So I was walking home from work the other day and experienced a good thought-triggering event. A car pulled out of its parallel parking spot and darted into traffic, essentially cutting off a car cruising at normal speed. I could write a novel about horn honking alone, but it was pretty apparent that the disruptor of traffic flow deserved the horn of death – and he/she certainly got it.
But this got me thinking along the lines of my previous post on complements and natural balance. Does the car horn restore balance or disrupt it? I think you can make the argument either way. In one regard, the act of darting into traffic disrupts the normal flow of traffic. But what purpose does the blaring horn serve other than to show you are angry?
I think it’s about the effect is has on the horn recipient. They may have spent the past few days filled with road rage and impatient driving, maneuvering recklessly into traffic more and more each day. It’s not until a good horn of death rings in your ears that you realize you may be putting others at risk and endangering yourself. At some level, I think the horn restores some driving normalcy to recipients of the horn. A periodic wake-up call to drive safely, perhaps.
Well although the horn example may be a stretch to some, there are many other balancers and neutralizers that restore some sort of equilibrium in this world. They align with the concept of complements and allow our world to continue developing at a manageable, within-an-arms-reach pace.
Politics – In a multi-party system, the scale never tips beyond a controllable level, and therefore we are guaranteed checks-and-balances on policy, law, and governing bodies over time. (1)
Sports – Rules, organiation, and oversight allow for equilibrium to be maintained over the years. No one team or division or conference truly dominates any sport (besides the Yankees). (2)
Weather – If it was always sunny, we wouldn’t appreciate the good weather. If it was always rainy, we wouldn’t appreciate a refreshing shower.
Anyways, just some thoughts that correlate to complements around us. As with the sun and the rain, the balancers let us gain insight from disruption.
(1) Source of data: Infoplease
(2) Source of data: Wikipedia
kevin berardinelli 