Momentum: Not Just a Word of Physics

By Broadside Opinion Columnist Scott Mason

Momentum is defined as force or speed of movement; impetus, as of a physical object or course of events. Strictly in physics, this refers to physical objects in motion. However, it is more than just that; it can be applied to all aspects of society and even personal life.

It is the essence to so many sayings like “on a roll,” “can’t stop me now” and “look out, here I come.”
It lets us realize that once we get moving forcefully and effectively in our lives, we can’t be stopped by anything except for those metaphorical brick walls. It works from the top down in society and really has an effect on the success or failure of us all.

Just last week, Sen. Barack Obama won the latest in his 10 straight Democratic victories. Since Super Tuesday, thus ever widening the gap between him and Sen. Hillary Clinton. These wins have created a momentum for the senator from Ill., and he has been more and more people are rallying to support him in his presidential endeavors. Although it’s not over yet, it seems likely that he will earn the Democratic nomination.

Sen. John McCain seems to have all but won the Republican nomination, as he continually wins primaries and caucuses across the nation. Gov. Mike Huckabee still holds on, but it seems that his ship to be the presidential candidate has sailed on. Huckabee broke out of the gate winning Iowa, yet he couldn’t translate that into widespread success on the campaign trail, and although he has won, and will likely win future contests, it will unlikely turn into a win for the GOP nomination.

The consistency that both McCain and Obama seem to be displaying is what has gotten them so far and built so much force behind them that will soon end up a competition between the two of them for the general election in November. It is momentum that has brought these two politicians to the forefront, and now it seems like nothing will be able to stop them, except for each other.

On a more local level, George Mason University basketball is one aspect that seems to rely on momentum for so much. For a while, we were on top of our game, though trailing VCU. Win after win, the Patriots seemed to continue under the momentum of the Mason home crowd and their incredible success this season.

However, with a loss at ODU, it seemed that the train had stopped and all the great victories that we had vanished, and all of a sudden the students and the school as a whole had crashed just before the end of the season. Coupling that with our loss against UNC-Wilmington at homecoming, our hopes of a near perfect season for Mason basketball seemed dashed. Yet, with a win last Wednesday, one can only hope that this will translate into success in the games and CAA tournament in the coming weeks.

This possible momentum we may gain from the games to come just makes our dreams of seeing Mason go all the way in the NCAA tournament a reality. The power of a winning momentum is nearly unbeatable.

Yet, it is not just winning that brings us momentum. Sometimes the negative can continually drag us backwards in life. This is why it seems that when it comes to bad luck, when it rains it pours. This way of negative momentum constantly daunts our minds, but we know that it just takes something to go the way we need to make all the difference and tip the scales back in the right direction toward the great thing we aspire to.

We also experience the power of momentum on a more personal level. When one great quiz grade or essay accumulates into two or three more, it feels like we are on our way to an A in that class. When we have one great day at our jobs or our professor continually captures our focus perfectly in class, it seems like nothing can go wrong.

This force behind us helps and aids us to continually become better at whatever we attempt. Momentum is a very personal and real experience that we all love to have. Without it, we seem to flounder and wallow in the muck, wafting for that one great gust of strength to pull out, onwards and upwards towards success and whatever we may want in life.

This may mean getting a 4.0 GPA or earning that raise that you’ve been waiting for, but no matter what you may be after, the effect of when everything is going right manages to make it all happen in ways you could never imagine.