Energy (the external stuff)

[MCaldwell]

There is really only one thing that I remember from my high school physics classes and that is Energy can neither be created or destroyed, it can only change its form. Potential Energy becomes Kinetic Energy which becomes heat and sound Energy, etc... Since I believe in "Life" Energy, how can the law of Energy conservation apply to this?

Okay, so first I believe that every living thing has an inexhaustible supply of Life Energy. Second I believe this Energy is continually emitted from all living things. Third I believe in the Law of Conservation of Energy (Energy can't be created or destroyed, only changed in form). My first experience with the application of this phenomenon came well before I ever had any idea about V.E.A.R. It was back when I was running on the high school track team. I was an average to possibly a little below-average runner back then. Practices were tiring and labourious. I wanted to run better, but I just wasn't improving. I decided that one summer I would train in earnest and return to high school the next Fall and surprise all my coaches. But my summer evening training sessions weren't any better or more productive than my high school practices. That is until I went on vacation in Parry Sound with my parents. Back in Hamilton, I ran on the concrete sidewalks or asphalt roads beside all the brick houses. There was nothing living anywhere around me. But in Parry Sound I ran on the trails and back country gravel roads. There I was surrounded by trees, plants, wildlife, insects. Life was all around me and I can still remember the feeling of being able to run forever. I cruised up and over the hills, the flats were effortless, I felt like I could run forever. Looking back now I believe it was the transfer of life Energy that gave me the extra Energy to run.

But I know there are skeptics everywhere who probably think that is was the cleaner air that gave me the ability to run longer. So I have more proof! Have you ever been to a large sporting event? Here in Canada, hockey is the sport of preference. What happens when the home team scores? Everyone jumps to their feet and cheers. Regardless of the team you are cheering for, how do you physically feel after that happens. Personally I feel incredibly energized. All at once 20,000 people leap to their feet, cheer, and release a HUGE dose of their internal Life Energy into the environment. There is no way of not absorbing some of it.

The same is true for every running race I have ever participated in. At the start of the race I am surrounded by hundreds of other runners all amped up and emitting life Energy. You can literally feel the Energy coming off all the other runners and if you have the ability to see a person's aura, I bet it's not too tough to visualize.

And then there are the one-on-one interactions. Most of us know somebody with whom after we spend 10 or 15 minutes interacting, we find ourselves absolutely exhausted. Those people are Energy sponges. They don't give you Energy, rather they suck the life Energy right out of you. Conversely, there are people who have the opposite effect. I've already written about Ray Zahab and his amazing feats. A guy who can run across a continent with barely any breaks obviously has a ton of available life Energy. And after spending 10 minutes speaking with Ray, you too will feel so energized that you may even be willing to consider running across a desert yourself. Ray is an extreme example, but I'm sure we all know people who leave us feeling more energized after spending just a short amount of time with them.

Life Energy is all around us. We just have to open ourselves up to its availability. I've used it countless times. I've raced marathons without training and people don't know how I did it. It was simple, I just used the life Energy that was all around me. In fact, this week I'm using this technique all the time. This is my first Spring of tapping maple trees for maple syrup. I tapped 140 trees on the side of a big hill. I underestimated how much sap each tree would produce and find myself making countless trips up and down this hill, through the deep snow, carrying full two full 5-gallon (40 pound) pails. Two days ago I did this nonstop for 3 hours. I was so focused on getting the job done I didn't even take a break to eat or drink anything.

But I don't need any food or drink Energy because Energy is all around me. So not only is there that stuff inside you, but it exists all around you as well. You just have to open yourself up and drink it all in.

[joanne1216]

That was great!! Thank you for the very interesting read.

I can't wait to begin training for my 5k, I want to feel the energy all the other runners are feeling.

As for energy sponges, how does one avoid them?

[Scooter]

Interesting point you make and sometimes I agree and sometimes I question.

Let me explain. I have a long past of New Age ideas, Spirituality, externalization, meditation and seeking motivation from other sources and I really like putting the responsibility on those around me and especially those that don't exist or are omnipotent or fantasy, it takes the load off of me. However, It doesn't seem to get me very far when I externalize my energy, expectations and attachments so I have drawn in quite a bit and started looking at my own motivators, my own energy sources and my own personal power. To many, this comes off as self centered, grouchy at times and defensive. Maybe even a little bit House-ish, Maybe I need to tune a little.

On the other hand I totally get what your speaking of. I have stood at the line with 25000 runners waiting for that gun and felt the electricity in the air like a lightening bold. I have stood in a crowd of 450000 bikers ready to charge into DC on Rolling Thunder weekend smelling the gas fumes, feeling the tension in the air and sensing the charge. And I have felt the energy from a crowd as I performed on stage and walked off invigorated and totally exhausted from channeling crowd energy through me and back to them. I am not sure of those emotional physics but I know they exist in groups. It is a wonderful thing.

The reason I bring up both topics and sides of my thought is that I have fallen trap to both sides of the balance here. I have externalized to the point of immobility and I have internalized to the point of immobility. As always, there is a very wonderful balance. And... feeding off the crowd can be a productive action, and a detriment. It really depends on what you are doing.

[Stoic_Jason]

If you could quantify it, I might believe it.

[Wanderer]

Your premises are in contradiction.

as for your conclusion, i wouldn't attribute it to external energy, but rather internal state of mind.

Sure there external things that could have helped extend your abilities. oxygen intake, sunlight, air pressure, temperature, etc. But when it comes down to it, time and again research has shown that people's state of mind plays a great role.

whether it is the special forces guy who after immersion in ice water ends up doing better than previously on a shooting test, or the police officer who dies from a shoulder wound after being shot who then goes on to mourn for his family when he is gone even though his injury was not life threatening.

[MCaldwell]

One of the problems with sharing ideas through forums and the written word, is that the reader can only make assumptions regarding the source of the information.

It's kind of funny, because I am actually not at all the way I come off in my writing. There have been times when I have gone back and read over my stuff and called myself a total flake!

I'm actually very much like Jason. If it can't be measured and quantified, then it mustn't exist. But then again, on the flip side, I also try to leave myself open to any possibilities.

And like Scooter, I've stood on the start line with those 2500 runners and I too have felt that Energy. Just because I can't put my volt meter on anything, doesn't mean that Energy doesn't exist.

So I'm conflicted, my personality tells me that if it can't be measured it can't exist. But I've felt that race Energy and sports arena Energy and I know it does exist.

The only ultimate answer I can be happy with, is the placebo effect. It really doesn't matter if the external Energy or internal Energy is real or not. I do believe they exist but what matters most is the results the belief in those things brings.

[MCaldwell]

Originally Posted by joanne1216

I can't wait to begin training for my 5k, I want to feel the energy all the other runners are feeling.

You're not going to feel the Energy all the other runners are "feeling", you're going to feel all the Energy the other runners are emitting.

Originally Posted by joanne1216

As for energy sponges, how does one avoid them?

That's an interesting question and is probably specific to the person who is sucking the Energy out of you. I have personally stopped associating with "friends" who seemed to take way more from me than they ever gave back.

But if the person is somebody you work with, or a teammate on a team or something, then you may have to use your imagination on how to minimize contact.