Psychic Activation Energy

There is a concept in chemistry called "Activation Energy."  Basically what this means is that for a chemical reaction (like burning wood) to take place a certain amount of energy has to be put into the system (the spark, or flame from a match).  With an exothermic reaction (something that gives off energy, like the wood fire) once the activation energy has started the reaction, the reaction then provides enough energy for the stuff around it to also react.  So a spark lights a fire, and the heat from that fire starts the burning of the wood around it, and so on until all the wood is used up.  With a exothermic reaction the state after the reaction has less energy.  Burned wood has given off the energy from the fire, and therefore needs more energy to burn (like charcoal) or simply won't burn (like ash).

I want you now to compare the different levels of energy to the ease of a person's life.  Our lives have a certain amount of difficulty, which is analogous to the amount of energy in wood.  Now, this can be altered by the environment (put a piece of wood on Mount Everest and the cold and the reduced pressure makes it harder to burn, you need more activation energy).  If you get sick then everything is a bit harder.  You can't do much about this.

However, most of us can think of ways to reduce how difficult our lives could be.  Do you get anxious about things that you can't change?  Would your life be easier if you had a little more education?  Would your life be easier if you were in better shape?  Would things be easier if you were a little more humble and apologised to people you have hurt with your opinions?  These are analogous to the reduced energy state after a chemical reaction, the wood after it has been burnt.

Isn't it often very difficult to get to that lower difficulty state?  Do you find you can't stop worrying?  Do you think of all the difficulties with going to school, the cost and the time?  Do you find it difficult to start exercising (or do it on consecutive days)?  Do you find it painfully difficult to suck it up and humble yourself before someone else, even though you know you are right?  This difficulty is the activation energy, the hurdle you need to get over until you can get to the new state.

This activation energy can come in different forms, and over different amounts of time.  As I have said before, real change comes from changing one's habits.  What changes our habits are the will to think about changing them, the knowledge about how to change them, the courage to overcome our fears, and the effort to make it happen.  It is all very well to know that you would be happier if you stopped worrying about things you can't change, but this does nothing to help you if you don't find out how to do it, don't over come the fear of changing yourself or appearing silly, and without actually applying your knowledge in a consistent and practical manner.

We have all done it.  Complained about our lives and then complained that what it would take to change the situation is too hard, and then gone back to complaining about our lives again.  We have all also thought of big plans that we could do, who we could be, what we could achieve, and then done none of these things because of the effort involved.  The thing is, with almost all these situations, the overall effort involved is less if you actually do the things.  Just like a fire just needs a spark to get it going, psychic activation energy can get you to a place where your life is truly easier.  Generally it is worth the effort.

This post is dedicated to my sister Emily, who has just made the effort, and as a result made me proud.