Feynman's Pendulum
Well, I did it.
I actually did it.
I put the lime in the coconut and drank'em both together. I put the lime in the coconut; it made me feel better.
Seriously, my Nigerian pal Akintunde Omitowoju came over for lunch on Sunday and we did it together. I had heard the Harry Nilsson song in my head for more than 30 years, but had never met anyone who actually tried the experiment. Have you?
Being only 29, Akintunde had never even heard the song, but he's a good enough friend not to need an explanation, so he drank his portion like a man. For the record: The milk of a coconut is pretty weary by itself and lime juice is, well, lime juice. But together they are surprisingly good. The coconut milk removes the edge from the lime and the lime adds an intriguing sweetness to the milk.
Why did I do it? I was looking for the equilibrium of Feynman's Pendulum; searching for a fun activity that was sufficiently ridiculous to counteract the insane discipline of the previous week and swing my life back into balance. I was looking for the key that would free my mind from the handcuffs of obligation. In other words, I was playing.
For an activity to be play, it must be:
1. intrinsically motivating. If you play because you want to win a trophy, you're not really playing for pleasure and are therefore not truly playing.
2. freely chosen. If you are playing because someone told you to, you are not truly playing.
3. actively engaging. If you play while disinterested in the game, you are in essence not playing.
4. fun. You must derive pleasure from it.
I began my search for Feynman's Pendulum after hearing a homemade tape recording of him singing a ridiculous song about orange juice while playing the bongos like a madman. Even after his development of the space-time view of quantum electrodynamics won him the Nobel Prize for theoretical physics in 1965, Richard Feynman never stopped banging on his bongos and making up silly songs. I believe it's what helped him keep his life in balance. Feynman was rarely seen without a smile.
Have you forgotten how to play like a 3 year-old? Have you lost the talent for beating on a drum and making up silly songs about orange juice? Please don't think that I'm advocating self-destructive behavior. I'm talking about losing your inhibitions, not your mind. I'm talking about dumping your fears, not your morals. I'm talking about finding Feyman's Pendulum: adding the silly fruit of play to sweeten the bland coconut milk of your life.
Will you do it? Go ahead and do it.
Put the lime in the coconut.
Roy H. Williams