The roller coaster is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep inclines and descents and sometimes inversions. People ride along the track in open cars through sharp curves and sudden changes of speed and direction for a thrill ride.
Entertainment value is provided by the velocity of the descent as well as by the inverted loops, barrel rolls, and banked turns that create positive gravitational forces.
I am sure you know what a rollercoaster is. That actually is not the crux of my discussion.
Alex Schachter’s poem titled “Life Is Like A Roller Coaster” attempts to relate Life to the Rollercoaster.
“Life is like a roller coaster
It has some ups and downs
Sometimes you can take it slow
Or very fast
It may be hard to breathe at times
But you just have to push yourself
And keep going
Your bar is your safety
It’s like your family and friends
You hold on tight and don’t let go
But sometimes you might throw your hands up
Because your friends and family will always be with you
Just like that bar keeping you safe at all times
It may be too much for you at times
The twists,
The turns,
The upside downs,
But you get back up
And keep chugging along
Eventually it all comes to a stop
You won’t know when
Or how
But it will be time to get off
Life is like a roller coaster”
Away from the contraption and the poem.
Getting on the Rollercoaster, the rider must anticipate both the ups and downs. But people get so much thrill going up that when they reach the cresent, they get unprepared for the descent.
The ups are those great times when everything is going fine and life is treating you well.
A good rider makes a decision to take the ride in anticipation of the thrill to be experienced during the accelerating ride down.
Political office holders are like riders in a rollercoaster.
They enjoy the ups so much that many forget that there must be a down some day. Gravity, a force beyond control, makes the ride down “Fast and Furious”.
Political office is not a life long thing. No matter how long you spend at the cresent there must be a time to race down, and eventually get off.
Whether you will enjoy the ride down depends on how much you prepared for the inevitable ride.
Cheers and ovations are rife at the very top but get quiet on the way down, waiting for the next rider to get on the rollercoaster.
If you have done well at the top, when it is time for the ride down, you will not be jittery. The ride down will actually be fun.
When getting on the rollercoaster of your political life and it is taking you up, always be prepared for the inevitable ride down and getting off the rollercoaster.
