Entre Nous…
A physics phenomenon of resonance, first observed in the 17th century,
has an effect on all of us. Entrainment is defined as the tendency for
two oscillating bodies to lock into phase so that they vibrate in
harmony. It is also defined as a synchronization of two or more
rhythmic cycles. The principle of entrainment is universal, appearing
in chemistry, pharmacology, biology, medicine, psychology, sociology,
astronomy, architecture and more. The classic example shows individual
pulsing heart muscle cells. When they are brought close together, they
begin pulsing in synchrony. Another example of the entrainment effect
is women who live in the same household often find that their menstrual
cycles will coincide.
Shame on me for even knowing that such an entertainer as Roger Miller ever existed, much less that he had an AM top 40 hit called "England Swings"
The history of entrainment is linked to Dutch scientist, Christian
Huygens in 1665. While working on the design of the pendulum clock,
Huygens found that when he placed two of them on a wall near each other
and swung the pendulums at different rates, they would eventually end
up swinging in at the same rate. This is due to their mutual influence
on one another.
"England swings like a pendulum do
Bobbies on bicycles, two by two
Westminster Abbey, the tower of Big Ben
The rosy red cheeks of the little children"
The entrainment process is quite evident in music. It is possible to
have rhythmic entrainment, melodic entrainment and dynamic entrainment.
Entrainment music has the potential to (1) resonate with the listener’s
feelings, (2) transform negativity into positivity, and (3) promote a
state of liveliness or serenity. Certain sounds, in specific sequence
can help bring the listener from one place to another.
Back in the days of the Sandhill Interview, I was working with Euan Semple to create a nice little "who are you really and what do you do?" All of a sudden Euan’s employer was embroiled in a scandal of James Bondish proportions and all I could see was the BBC. I could no longer see Euan. I wanted to ask him about the reported suicide, about how fortunate that was for the government, how unfortunate for the BBC… but I’m not Clark Kent, not even Jimmy Olson really, just a humble blogger. I had so many obnoxious observations I wanted to make, but I didn’t want to taint Euan with them, so I withdrew. I’m sorry for that now, more than a year later. There was nothing I felt like saying to him, and so I said nothing. How rude I was.
Looking back I can see how caught up in the war I was. I was giving talks, arranging conferences. I did a Flash presentation on Rachel Corrie. Somehow I was reluctant to let my passionate engagement intrude on the interview. How foolish of me.
Euan, would you do me the favor of starting up where we left off? My first questions will have to do with whether Kelly’s death was a state sponsored murder. Or not.
I close my report on this experience by coming back to the metaphor of the chameleon. You will recall I mentioned this large green lizard of changing colours as another player in our meeting. At one point he had to be fed. His food was a Madagascar hissing beetle, which looks like a large cockroach. In the dramatic moment when the chameleon’s long tongue flashed out and snapped the beetle into its mouth, I saw the moment of destiny waiting for all of us.
[Thanks Lavish la Vache for the ‘entrainment’ inspiration]…