The Shepard Scale

Setting the tone in a post-Constitution society

I’ve been writing about political topics, activism and whatnot for almost 20 years, and while the slope has always been proverbially slippery, the current state of things brings to mind a visual of kids on a toboggan, careening out of control down a slick hillside toward the big tree at the bottom. In other words, no matter who you are or what you believe, there’s no way this ends well.

In talking to people from conservatives to anarchists, I hear a host of emotions that run the gamut from sadness to disappointment to even anger at what is happening around us—and what could still occur.

The overarching question in the face of all this insanity, however, isn’t “how did we get here?” There are discussion boards, social media groups, and water cooler conversations all over the place that debate the history and the method of it all. Ask 50 people how we woke up to find ourselves in this mess, and you’ll get 40 different answers. The truth is, it doesn’t even matter anymore; arguing about it doesn’t answer the question we need to be asking.

The real question is, “what do we do now?” That’s what I’ll be answering, in a real, practical, roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-to-work kind of way.

What’s a Shepard Scale, Anyway?

The Shepard Scale is an auditory illusion named after Roger Shepard, a cognitive scientist. It creates the feeling of falling or rising without end, by playing identical tones an octave apart. You’ve heard it in movies and TV shows, and certain composers love using it to create suspense or intensity. It’s used in music, but any sound can be used to create the illusion.

You can read more about what the Shepard Scale is, and what it sounds like here.

What makes it so fascinating is that it’s literally just one tone, but once it’s spread over several octaves and volumes, it can be expanded in pitch to infinity. Call it a force multiplier of sorts.

So why name a newsletter about practical roads to freedom with an auditory illusion term?

We are all just one person. Clichés about starfishes on the beach are nice and all, but if you get enough “ones” together united in a common goal, much can be accomplished—even if they’re operating an octave apart.

Here’s to infinitely expanding the tone.

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In the meantime, tell your friends!