DESPERATION

I observe in awe almost daily as kombis (public transport) pass after the school children have boarded at 16.00 Hrs. Not only is the music exceptionally loud but certain of the passengers, being school children are in a standing position bouncing up and down to the rhythm of the music. This made me wonder whether physics is taught in our secondary and high schools. I personally believe every child above the age of ten should have knowledge of Newton’s Laws on Motion, Friction, Inertia, and all the other laws as this would awaken these teenagers to the consequences of what could happen to the vehicle they have boarded as a result of their bouncing whilst the vehicle is in motion.

Those of us who studied physics know that when a body of mass moves outside of its center of support it loses balance. If more children are bouncing on one side of a kombi and if the same is in motion on a corner it could very easily go out of control especially if the same is being driven at excessive speed on our roads which have so many potholes. Inexperienced drivers are employed to keep wages low. The potholes depending upon how one hits one can also ensure that instead of a vehicle taking the corner, it continues moving in a straight line, at a constant velocity, inertia until it hits into something which then stops it. We all know that inertia is the resistance of any physical object to any change in its state of motion. It is the tendency of objects to keep moving in a straight line at a constant velocity. The friction of the tyres on the road surface or change of surface could also influence how the vehicle will react. On the sand, sliding is inevitable if one applies brakes on the loose sand that may be present on top of the asphalt or the gravel.

There are results to all actions, for example for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, Newton’s 3rd Law.

What inspired me to write this article was a comment made by a friend on Facebook when I stated that children should be controlled in kombis (Light Delivery Van with seats) and should not be permitted to bounce up and down and she stated that children should be left to be children. These are teenagers. This led me to believe that if teachers and parents incorporated physics into everyday occurrences teenagers would realize that their actions do not fall outside of the laws of physics. There are results to all actions, for example for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, Newton’s 3rd Law.

When I enquired from a kombi driver why they did not control the youth he informed me that these were their regular passengers who support them throughout the year. I wondered whether they were so desperate to have business from the very children who might even end up giving evidence against them in court one day? We each create what we experience whether consciously or unconsciously. When we are “desperate” to please others or to get the money we should be very careful for we cannot think clearly.

“I wonder what came over me back then!”

Desperation leads to people accepting that which is below what they are accustomed to receiving. Desperation demeans one in that one will do anything to just get what they want. In doing “anything” to get what one wants, one loses self-respect and self-worth. No one enjoys being around a desperate person. The energy is unsettling and even irritating to certain people who although they claim not to know anything about energies, find themselves shouting and screaming at others not realizing that they have tapped into an energy that is not theirs. Needless to say, once the “desperate” person has moved on, others look around and say things like “I wonder what came over me back then!”

When people are desperate for something they tend to overlook certain things which they would otherwise have noted because they are in a state of haste. Their energies are hyper and they are therefore not fully aware of everything that surrounds them. These drivers, needless to say, cannot wait to offload these passengers so that they can return to pick up the next load. One can only imagine the haste, the loud music which makes one lose concentration, and the bouncing of a vehicle whose mass has been moved outside of its center of support being the ideal conditions for a catastrophe.

In this day and age where everything is at our fingertips perhaps parents who did not do physics should encourage their children to research the various laws in physics. After all, we all live in a world governed by the laws of physics. We should avoid remaining ignorant when knowledge is so easily accessible.

Thank you for stopping by to read my article.

I share because I care.

Love always, kisses, hugs