Anchor

All moving bodies (nautical vessels included) are understood to be governed – ever since Sir Isaac Newton introduced his theoretical framework – by the interplay of inertia, force, and action-reaction laws.

Since this interaction is made immensely more complex by being immersed in water (which is itself in a constant state of flow), countering and managing motion become crucial elements of navigation.

Enter anchors – devices specifically designed to hold ships in place (on open water or in harbors), to slow them, or somewhat counterintuitively to aid their maneuvers. In all these cases, action is required to assess water and weather conditions and subsequently choose whether (or when) to drop (or weigh) anchor.

As they are to a boat, anchors are indispensable to people. When we confront challenges and steady our course throughout choppy emotional seas, can optimism serve as our stability or steering device? Can it help us amplify the positives (7.19) of our human experience?