With the election of President Trump in November, the political pendulum has swung to the right after eight years of the Democratic Party pushing it as far to the left as it could.

As far as the pendulum was pushed left, liberals had to hold back with all their might to prevent the force of the pendulum from finding equilibrium. But they eventually could not withstand the weight of the pendulum seeking the center.

The arm had swung so far left in the past eight years that when released its kinetic energy swung the pendulum far right of center. Its equal and opposite force did not allow the normal centering of the swing. Hence, Donald Trump is president. The people rejected both the Republican candidates preferred by the partys establishment as well as Hillary Clinton, and a new popular candidate emerged for the people.

As you look over these historic swings, you begin to see that the preferred place of rest by most Americans is indeed somewhere in the center of the political spectrum. The push and pull of the far right and left points of view make the pendulum wobble off center, but never for very long in either direction. When either side pushes too hard, in time the force swings the political pendulum back with equal force.

Think of it as a normal distribution of political opinion. Most Americans share values and political points of view that gather in the middle of that distribution. Americans can find middle ground on most issues. The further you deviate from the center, to the extreme left or right, the fewer Americans you will find who hold those points of view.

Why then does it seem that the extremes get so much attention?

These groups are very vocal. They make the most noise and, unfortunately, make provocative news. We, for the most part, are not entertained by the normal, mundane life we all live in the center, so we flirt with the fringes of society. We are curious, we are voyeurs, and we have the news media to fill our insatiable need for this information. As we watch the off-center news over and over again, what was abnormal to the center now seems normal.

This has its greatest impact on the youth of our nation. They grow tired of the restrictions of a life controlled by their parents and seek new and worldly adventures. They are easily influenced in their formative years and will follow sometimes bizarre behavior. Often this behavior, if they survive the process, is replaced with real-life experiences that burst the utopian bubbles of youth. The one thing that will not change is human behavior. We will continue to see the worst and the best of humanity among our neighbors. There have been few periods where man was at peace with himself or others for any length of time. Greed, envy, lust and fear seems to propel humanity against itself. We look back on that history and wonder how a nation could become involved in such acts of violence against other nations and we deem them somehow inferior in the evolution of human understanding.

Yet, our television screens are filled with the same destruction, the same hate, the same fear of our fellow man. I was ashamed of the protests and riots in Washington, D.C., following President Trumps inauguration. We are becoming less tolerant as a nation, which was demonstrated when we could not put our differences aside for one day and celebrate the peaceful transfer of power.

We have evolved little as better human beings, having more understanding towards our neighbor, or being more tolerant of those who are different. I can only find redemption of the human spirit in the blood of my creator, Jesus Christ. I seek to be a follower of His teachings and pray for the redemption of all mankind. I pray for peace and understanding, tolerance and respect for all.

Flickinger is president of Tom Flickinger & Associates Inc., a management consulting firm.

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The political pendulum has swung to the right - Observer-Reporter