In the mid-1950s, a particular carnival was a summer attraction in my hometown, Kellogg. Its most fascinating ride was The Round Up. Customers would climb onto a circular floor surrounded by a tall wall. As the engine moved the ride around and around faster and faster, the floor would suddenly drop away. And we were suspended against the wall by what I later learned was “centrifugal force.” What a great ride! “Centrifugal” means “center-fearing.” Its opposite reaction is called “centripetal” (“center-seeking”). Physics has described what I also see as a spiritual metaphor.
