Why are things the way they are?
I was walking around the other day and decided that I had been going in a clockwise direction. Then I got to wondering. Why do clocks turn in the direction that they do?
As I found out, clocks run clockwise because here, in the Northern Hemisphere, this is the direction in which sundials cast a shadow. So the first clockmaker, no doubt, lived in the Northern Hemisphere. I looked that up too. The history of clock-making is long, but Jacob Zech of Prague built the first mechanical version in 1525. And, as expected, Prague is north of the Equator.
Once again, though, it is all about perspective. If you view that motion from the front, it goes in the traditional “clockwise direction.” Right turn, right turn, right turn. But if you step behind the face of the clock, you will see that that same dial is making a left turn, left turn, left turn. Counterclockwise. All we had to do was alter our vantage point. From one side to the other. And then we could see the exact opposite thing in the works.
I’ll tell you. I wish seeing all things in this way were that easy.
Of course, politics is the biggest example.
I decided to ask Bard about some of the views and positions held by both parties so I could demonstrate.
I started with the Republican Party. Here is what Bard said.
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The Republican Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States. The party’s platform is generally based on American conservatism, contrasting with the modern liberalism of the Democratic Party. The positions of the Republican Party have evolved over time. Currently, the party’s positions include:
• Fiscal conservatism: Republicans support lower taxes, small government conservatism, free market capitalism, free trade, deregulation of corporations, and restrictions on labor unions.
• Social conservatism: Republicans support gun rights outlined in the Second Amendment, the death penalty, and other traditional values, often with a Christian foundation, including restrictions on abortion.
• National security: Republicans usually favor increased military spending, strong national defense, and unilateral action.
• Immigration: Republicans generally support restrictions on immigration, more specifically, opposition to illegal immigration.
• Education: Republicans support school choice and school prayer.
• Health care: Republicans generally support repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act.
• Environment: Republicans generally support less regulation of businesses and industries, and are skeptical of climate change.
These are just some of the Republican Party’s positions on various issues. It is important to note that not all Republicans agree with all of the party’s positions, and there is a range of views within the party on many issues.
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So then I asked Bard about the Democrats and got this.
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The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States. The party’s platform is generally based on American liberalism, contrasting with the conservatism of the Republican Party. The positions of the Democratic Party have evolved over time. Currently, the party’s positions include:
• Fiscal liberalism: Democrats support higher taxes on the wealthy, a larger role for government in the economy, and regulations on corporations.
• Social liberalism: Democrats support abortion rights, gun control, same-sex marriage, and other progressive social issues.
• National security: Democrats generally favor diplomacy and multilateralism over military action.
• Immigration: Democrats generally support comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
• Education: Democrats support increased funding for public education and affordable college tuition.
• Health care: Democrats support expanding access to health care, including through the Affordable Care Act.
• Environment: Democrats support strong environmental regulations and action on climate change.
These are just some of the Democratic Party’s positions on various issues. It is important to note that not all Democrats agree with all of the party’s positions, and there is a range of views within the party on many issues.
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It’s Polly here again.
There are points from both that I agree with. And points that I disagree with on both sides.
What I can’t get behind is discrimination, hatred, stagnation, and misinformation. No matter how you walk around those things, looking at them from all sides, they remain the same. Negative movement and harmful mindsets. They are imprisonments that put an end to growth and awareness.
When it comes down to it, I want to stand in the light. Not in the cast shadows of these ways of thinking. Be it on the sundial or anywhere else. Is it clockwise? I don’t know. But being enlightened is moving in the right direction. I am sure of that.
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In order to carry a positive action we must develop here a positive vision.
— Dalai Lama
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Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.
— Zig Ziglar
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Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.
— Benjamin Franklin
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Looking at things, clockwise, or not.
