A Compass Points North…

When I was young, I received a compass as a gift. The gentlemen who gave it to me explained that it would always point to magnetic north, no matter where I was. I was stunned. How could something so simple be so incredibly useful? I spent days exploring my neighborhood, desperately trying to find somewhere that this little gizmo did not point north. And for that matter, what was magnetic north, and was there more than one North?

I have carried a compass almost continuously for over 40 years, and have never failed to marvel at the consistency and utility of such a simple device. I learned about magnetic north, geomagnetic poles, magnetic polar wandering and True North. It made me appreciate having to find your way through the world without one, navigating by the stars, landmarks and often sheer dumb luck.

Tonight I listened to a woman on the radio, describing her imminent ejection from the American middle class, the result of downsizing and out-sourcing overseas. I was struck by the fact that this woman had followed her social and moral compass for over 40 years, believing that she was “on course”; only to discover that her compass was correct, but “north” has moved.

Geologists know that the geomagnetic poles “wander”, and the geophysicists have explained “magnetic pole reversals”. Apparently this same sort of thing is going on in politics.

Regardless, it should make us all pause to appreciate both what we have, and the very thin veil of karma, luck, fortune or chance that separates our insulated lives from sheer chaos. I once saw my compass “dance”, as I walked over a large mountain of essentially magnetic rock, lured into the gyration as a result of the rapidly varying magnetic fields surrounding this mountain.

Hopefully “north” settles down. Seems to me that an intelligent designer would have fixed this early on…..