The Sum of Parts

While working on a particular bit of writing, a conversation arose between two characters. While, in writing, that conversation has to flow naturally, I wanted to put down the basic premise of it here, without such a restriction.

At its core, the pearl of the concept is this: There is energy all around us. Yes, all you science buffs can make unimpressed assertions that "of course there is. This isn't news." So let me explain a bit more.

We know of all kinds of energy. There's kinetic, light, heat, magnetic even "potential" energy. What I'm saying is that there is something more; something we haven't quite nailed down yet.

So where's my proof? Art (or anything that might be considered art). What makes a song a song? A jackhammer has rhythm. Car engines have tone. So what is it in music that makes us feel something? What about paintings? How can simple colors and shapes on canvas express and evoke emotion?

While I'm at it, what makes a person more than just their cells? You're made up of a genome sequence and piles of organic matter, sure. But what's the extra, unseen spark that creates a human being?

Let me go one step further. What is confidence? Why can we perform amazing feats simply because people believe in us? Or, conversely, why do we feel so terrible when people insult us? What is that sense of "something missing" when we're hurt? And why do we become foul and seek to bring others down when we're in those dark places?

Science has proven that energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can be altered, manipulated and directed, but we cannot create new energy. This is exceptionally interesting when we consider that the whole of the universe is made of nothing more than energy.

So! How is it then, that every day, people are creating things that are somehow more than the sum of their parts? It may be undefinable, but there is undoubtedly something more to a sculpture than just stone. There's certainly more to a person than just cells and chemical memories.

All poetry aside, that unidentified "something" has to come from somewhere.

We can't always see it, but we are radiant beings. A luminous energy radiates from all living things. We can infuse it into our work. We can pour it into another person, or we can sap it away and leave them feeling depressed and drained. It is an endless exchange in which we're all connected.

Once you're aware of this, you can sense it everywhere you go. Watch conversations and try to identify where the energy is going. Whose presence dominates a room? Why? How do they feel when all eyes are on them? How do you feel?

There is something always moving and shifting in the unseen corners of our lives. You are glowing with a universal light. It rises from you like scent from a rose. It is an unmatched essence that has the power to change the universe. Be proud, and use it with care.