Man And Energy

[Will_V]

The worst state that a man can be in is that of apathy. He struggles to get out of bed in the morning, his body feels like nothing more than a means by which gravity can impart its crushing force on him. The simplest of tasks, the simplest of expressions, require his utmost concentration: concentration that squeezes the drops of his life out to soak feebly into mundane things, and then leaves him exhausted, spent, unable to move, until some emergency mechanism of his natural life cycle, as if prepared in pitied advance of his overwhelming emptiness, injects him with another small portion to carry him through another day of his aimless existence.

This is a man operating at the very margin of life itself. The idea of going out into the world, of conceiving enterprise and setting it into unstoppable action, of finding anything in himself that could possibly capture or hold for even a moment the spritely attention of a beautiful girl, is far beyond him. He does not know who or what he is, all he knows is that he is far away from the true path, for nothing gives him satisfaction.

Sometimes, he forces himself to go to her. She observes him moving toward her, opening his mouth and speaking, arranging his face into a semblance of a smile, but his every act is that of a man, parched with thirst, wading through a desert that provides him with no sustenance, but ensures that every drop of his life force that he lets spill instantly vanishes into the endless sand, never to return. Unable to offer him anything, she moves away.

How does a man return to life from this place, with anything of his spirit intact? From where can he drink of life, that it might flow from him into the world?

...

Next time you are in a crowded place, try something: push out your chest and lift your chin up, and make your face as welcoming as the morning sun. Walk slowly, let your momentum roll you forward, only putting each foot out to not fall forward onto the ground. As people walk by, don't move left or right, but slow down or speed up to prevent a collision. Whatever happens, don't allow anything to interrupt the serene gentleness of your countenance. It doesn't matter what fears, anxieties, anger, impulses or anything else arise from within you, simply ignore it, bring your attention back and focus on making an invitation to life.

What will happen? You will find that people, men and women, will react to you. Some will try to make you move aside. Some will express potent emotions toward you in the expectation of a reaction. Some will veer toward you, not with any particular goal in mind, but to see what kind of invitation you really are offering, some doubtful, others hopeful, some friendly and curious, others hostile, some expressing anger, others pain. Whatever happens, do not react in any way. Do not approve or disapprove. Do not judge. Do not seize any opportunity. Do not react. Do not defend yourself. Your only job is to invite life to come as it is, to hold that offer open, and nothing else.

As you walk along you will find yourself desperately trying to react to the experience. You will find yourself anxious, angry, happy, troubled, serene, gleeful, you will experience a kind of series of highs and lows. You will be tempted, when you feel a high, to wrap it up, to steal a win, to release the pressure in a self-approving way. Do not do this. Be serene, relax your muscles, invite life toward you. At some point, you will simply know you've had enough. That's when you stop.

What, you might ask, is the purpose of all this? I will tell you. That afternoon, or that night, go to the gym, or sit down at your desk with your project in front of you, and express the boundless energy that now exists within you. You will work all night without pause, and the feeling of gravity trying to tear at your muscles as you lift the bar will be like a sweet wine. Every movement you make, every step you take, will resonate through the fabric of time and space. Your quiet words will fall like a low drum, your smallest step will make the whole world turn and look at you wide-eyed.

Congratulations, you have discovered the true relationship between man and energy.

...

A man is born for one thing, and one thing only: to transform energy. The world around him is full of energy of all kinds, energy that moves around in the world and operates on everything in it. Much of it is broken energy, fragmented, jumbled, confused energy. His job is to gather it up, to focus it like a laser beam, and express it potently in one form or another, to give it meaning.

A man is built with a large tank to store energy. Everything that happens to him imparts energy on him. His defeats, his successes, his enemies and his friends, his lovers and his haters, gravity and the wings he builds to overcome it, all impart their energy on him. He can, if he allows himself to, store an incredible lot of energy. And he can turn it into whatever he chooses.

However, sometimes he forgets that. He sees all the energy moving around in the world and conceives of himself as nothing more than a subject, a target, a plaything for that energy to mess around with. Sometimes he confronts it violently or fearfully, and it snaps at him and injures him. He becomes preoccupied with finding ways to defend himself against it, to capture it and isolate it from being able to have any effect on him.

When a molecule of lighter energy bounces into him, he grabs it and jams it into the static wall he has built around his ego, where it can never transform into anything greater or more beautiful, where it serves to allow him, perhaps, to survive the onslaught of another night. He fears and avoids darker energy - the energy of need, of pain, of instability, of desire - its touch is unbearable to him. He pushes back on it, whether it comes from within or without, and spends his life force overcoming it, rendering it inert, a transaction that for him can never equal, at best, anything more than zero.

Sometimes, when some energy touches him, like a hot potato he throws it instantly back at the direction of some enemy. Or he drops it on the ground and stamps it into the dirt. In other words, it provokes an instant reaction in him. He does not know why, but he knows that it is unbearable for it to be around him, and he experiences a moment of satisfaction in his violent rebuttal of it.

What is the result? The result is that his tank is always empty. Like a fireplace that is afraid of being burned, he allows no fuel near it. He was designed as the ultimate purveyor of life energy, something to transform the listless into the purposeful, the jumbled into the ordered, the fragmented into the whole, the inert into the dynamic, the incapable into the capable. And yet in the very thing which every part of his mind and body was designed to govern, he discovers only abject fear - his own.

Women who look at him see this fireplace - a cold, dark, metallic emptiness where there should be a roaring flame, and move away.

...

What happens when a man properly transforms energy? To begin with, he must not react to it, for this taints it and spends its potential into something foul and inert. People reacting to energy is what has made it all jumbled in the first place. The more welcoming and serene he is as it comes over to him, the more pure and rich it remains, and the more potential he has for creating something with it. He will feel it moving around listlessly in his soul, and he will be tempted to try and tear it away from him and destroy it, but if he successfully holds himself, it will lay down and wait for him to do something with it. The more he can gather and hold within himself, the more tension he can bear in his soul without reacting, the more powerful is his expression.

It is said that every good thing in a man comes about as a result of trauma. This is because trauma and pain are incredibly potent forms of energy, and the ultimate test of a mans capabilities are found in transforming it into something creative. The more pain and trauma he has faced with his chest open and his arms spread wide, that he has invited in and transformed according to his will into something constructive and beautiful, the more powerful and at ease he is with his masculinity. Women and men alike are transfixed by him, for he represents the ultimate goal of creation itself, the enemy of decay, the great motor of existence, and they come to him to be transformed in various ways.

Nothing can break his serene countenance, instead he absorbs the energy of its impact. And when he wishes to subdue chaos, the quietest word and the smallest gesture crackle with the thunder of all the energy he has absorbed throughout his lifetime. And in his eyes women see a fire roaring hot, and like moths they come to warm themselves near it and wonder at the way it moves and crackles and sometimes reaches out and touches something for a brief moment, to transform it forever.

And in solitude, this man smiles to himself with childish delight, for he realizes that everywhere around him, in everything, in all the best and worst things in the world, exist an endless supply of fuel, an infinity of potential. It bounces and tumbles around, and he sees everyone running around defending themselves from it, hiding under tables and kicking at shadows, and he laughs as he stands there and lets it all come and swirl around him, the light and the dark, the good, the bad, and the ugly. His friends offer him energy as a gift, and his enemies lavish it upon him. Fuel enough for a thousand trips to Mars, a fire hot enough to seduce a thousand princesses. And all he has to do is to go out and meet the chaos of life, to welcome it without reacting or defending himself, to let it spend itself upon him and collapse in a heap in the stables of his soul, where tomorrow he will come and saddle it, and it will carry him forward on his journey.

 

[HoofHearted]

I'm not sure I understand this, although I could use more... emotional energy/anti-apathy

The only thing that has really helped me is being present/in the moment, and making sure i'm physiologically alright (esp sleep).

So wtf you talking about? You're saying that, absorbing social energy from other people fills a tank?

This is a highly interesting topic. I have had several days in my life that i would describe as diffuse, or completely out of focus, to the point of existential sickness.

I have had days when i was a bullet shot through reality and pulling it all around me due to focus and perspective (like last week, when i was cold approaching)

 

[Kaida]

Next time you are in a crowded place, try something: push out your chest and lift your chin up, and make your face as welcoming as the morning sun. Walk slowly, let your momentum roll you forward, only putting each foot out to not fall forward onto the ground. As people walk by, don't move left or right, but slow down or speed up to prevent a collision. Whatever happens, don't allow anything to interrupt the serene gentleness of your countenance. It doesn't matter what fears, anxieties, anger, impulses or anything else arise from within you, simply ignore it, bring your attention back and focus on making an invitation to life.

What will happen? You will find that people, men and women, will react to you. Some will try to make you move aside. Some will express potent emotions toward you in the expectation of a reaction. Some will veer toward you, not with any particular goal in mind, but to see what kind of invitation you really are offering, some doubtful, others hopeful, some friendly and curious, others hostile, some expressing anger, others pain. Whatever happens, do not react in any way. Do not approve or disapprove. Do not judge. Do not seize any opportunity. Do not react. Do not defend yourself. Your only job is to invite life to come as it is, to hold that offer open, and nothing else.

As you walk along you will find yourself desperately trying to react to the experience. You will find yourself anxious, angry, happy, troubled, serene, gleeful, you will experience a kind of series of highs and lows. You will be tempted, when you feel a high, to wrap it up, to steal a win, to release the pressure in a self-approving way. Do not do this. Be serene, relax your muscles, invite life toward you. At some point, you will simply know you've had enough. That's when you stop.

I tried this in class - freed myself from judgements, relaxed my entire body especially my face, had good posture, and just observed - first thing someone said for some reason is that I looked sad.

I didn’t feel any different after. Maybe I’m doing it wrong or maybe the benefits manifest in ways I cant discern.

Also, since you say we are like a tank that stores and changes energy, are you suggesting we regularly practice not reacting to things and storing up energy in the way that you described, or was that a one time exercise?

 

[Will_V]

I'm not sure I understand this, although I could use more... emotional energy/anti-apathy

The only thing that has really helped me is being present/in the moment, and making sure i'm physiologically alright (esp sleep).

So wtf you talking about? You're saying that, absorbing social energy from other people fills a tank?

This is a highly interesting topic. I have had several days in my life that i would describe as diffuse, or completely out of focus, to the point of existential sickness.

I have had days when i was a bullet shot through reality and pulling it all around me due to focus and perspective (like last week, when i was cold approaching)

I don't usually like to try and condense something I've elaborated into a TLDR, since the world is too full already of pithy proclamations that don't amount to much. But I will try to be very concise and maybe elaborate a bit.

The main point I am making is that a man's energy doesn't come from within, but without. Or, to be more precise, it comes from the catalysis of something within him, caused by something outside him.

A man is a mechanism created by nature, along with the rest of the natural world. In creating Man, nature devised both the man and his environment - both of them rich with potentialities, but unable to realize them without the other.

A man is like a wire coil, by itself is is simply an object. But when this coil passes through an electro-magnetic field, it is imparted with energy, a force is created that pushes the coil in a certain direction. Now let's say the coil hits something - does the thing that was hit experience the magnetic field? No, it sees the coil and its force and perceives the coil as having a forceful, intentful presence. But the coil is, in fact, merely a piece of wire, it does not have force of its own.

Such is the existence of a man. If he does not place himself within an electromagnetic field (that is, the environment that nature has devised for him, replete with opportunity and challenge) he finds himself apathetic, lacking energy, and unable to function well. One might say that nature has provided him with a small battery as an emergency backup, but if he lies in bed all day, that battery quickly runs out, and when that is gone he is in real trouble.

This is crucial, because there is a fallacy in the modern world that you can realize your potential as a man in a sort of stasis or isolation, by preening endlessly certain symbolic representations of yourself as if you are a static sculpture. That you can achieve happiness and fulfillment by operating on yourself on the table of your safe and secure private environment (i.e. bedroom). This is spectacularly untrue, not because it's impossible to improve oneself in this way (on the contrary, periods of isolation, reflection and work on oneself can improve one's life greatly, all else being equal), but because he does not realize that his battery is running out, and his life force will wane and fade out, and all the affirmations and rituals he tries to bring it back with, while he stays in his isolation, will turn into the rituals of the death of his own spirit.

The only way he can bring it back, the only way he can fully experience the full force of life flowing through him, is to cast himself out into the electromagnetic field world and receive the energy that it imparts on him, drawing it inside him rather than resisting it, focusing it toward his goals, and striving forward.
...
I have always been fascinated by certain kinds of psychological maladies that people apparently experience that do not seem to have a clear explanation. The one that I have experienced the most is social anxiety, but there is also general depression, ADHD, and most recently, I have had people relating to me their experiences with 'chronic fatigue syndrome'.

Now I don't claim to be any kind of psychological expert, and if someone has a different point of view, I gladly accept that, but this is my take.

What do these all have in common? In my opinion, they are all associated with either lack of energy, or the inability to manage it.

Think of the mind like a pipe, and energy runs through it like water. If water is never allowed to run through it, the pipe is dry and empty. If water runs through it but there is a blockage, it will gather force at the point of blockage while the rest of the pipe is empty (this is why some people are lethargic and weak but then one day might explode in rage). If the pipe is cracked or full of holes, or twisted and bent out of shape, the water, rather than being a clean stream, becomes turbulent or sprays everywhere in all different directions (this is when people's minds are a patchwork of poorly repaired results of negative experiences and they are highly reactive). In all cases, the pipe must be repaired, cleaned and maintained to achieve efficient conduction of water.

People who are socially anxious (as I used to experience myself) tend to experience great fluctuations of energy. Think about a time when you had severe approach anxiety for example - your heart was racing, your head felt like it might explode, maybe your legs shaking - this sounds like a problem, right? But in fact, all this is merely energy, energy with enough potential to set a woman's heart on fire. The problem is not the energy but how you are conducting it. (I will credit James Marshall with helping me to realize this simple fact, that anxiety is not really anxiety but activation of the body). It is a blockage. Some people experience this merely by stepping out of the house, others when they are trying to seduce women, and so on.

Now afterward, after the interaction is over, you feel drained, weak, tired, unfocused etc. This is not necessary. The reason why you feel this way is not because you spent energy (wrong, energy doesn't come from inside) but because you resisted and blockaded it from conducting through you from your environment and interaction with a rich potentiality (in this case, a woman). As a result, you used up your battery by resisting a recharge, which ends up in a doubly worse spot.

After I realized this, I not only overcame the negative effects of social anxiety, but now I enjoy it, I enjoy (in fact, I can't live without) any experience that imparts me with energy, because it recharges me and, when I absorb it correctly, it all contributes to the force and presence with which I take action and make myself known to reality.

...
One more thing I want to mention, something that is a little hard to explain clearly to someone who has not experienced it, is that the energy from your environment (e.g. reflected by other people toward you) does not have to be positive to be perfectly useful and usable. Because people are generally afraid of the connotations of negative energy (the main one being that you are in physical danger) they tend to, by extension, be afraid of the energy itself. But anyone who has found themselves in a situation that was constantly dangerous (or that they perceived to be that way) knows that if you don't find a way to use that energy, and fill your tank with it, you will not only suffer the reaction of fear, but become apathetic as well, which is a deadly combination that accelerates an already risky situation.

This is why some people need to set up their life as a fight against an opponent, whether that opponent is real or not, and when life is too easy, they become restless and irritable. Because they have found in themselves an ability to absorb and consolidate negative energy, and they have made it their main strength, and they must keep creating situations that will recharge them.

If you walk into a room full of people that don't like you or have something against you, they will focus negative energy toward you. But when you don't resist it or react to it, but you simply draw it in and refocus it in the direction of your intentions, they begin to perceive themselves experiencing a loss of energy while you experience a replenishment of it, and this changes the dynamic of the situation. Even energy that is not explicitly negative (such as attempts at dominance) can be managed this way.

This is why, as a man, as you go out into the world and receive its effects, you must not only take the good with the bad, but fully embrace the bad in order to realize the greatest potential and satisfaction.

 

[Will_V]

I tried this in class - freed myself from judgements, relaxed my entire body especially my face, had good posture, and just observed - first thing someone said for some reason is that I looked sad.

I didn’t feel any different after. Maybe I’m doing it wrong or maybe the benefits manifest in ways I cant discern.

Also, since you say we are like a tank that stores and changes energy, are you suggesting we regularly practice not reacting to things and storing up energy in the way that you described, or was that a one time exercise?

This is more like meditation (a very very useful thing) rather than what I was describing. Because you are in a familiar, fairly relaxed environment, and probably seated. What I was describing must necessarily be done in an environment that causes you to feel the impulse to be reactive. But the mechanism is the same.

When you start meditating (and this is something all kinds of meditation practitioners will say) a lot of stuff will come up, not all of it positive or pleasant. It is equivalent to when you approach a girl (or think of approaching her) and you instantly feel a reaction of trepidation or pain. This is because things (such as negative self perceptions or memories of negative past experiences) that are usually buried safely out of the way come out when we open ourselves up.

Meditation helps in part by assisting to uncover these things, because they usually are hidden, or at least we are unconscious of them, but they come out all the time in a myriad of small expressions that changes or interferes with our vibe to other people. This is why many guys spend a long time having trouble with women, because the women, who are very attuned to vibe more than anything else, can easily perceive things in them that they cannot or will not perceive themselves.

I would advise meditating regularly in private (and learning more about meditation in general and how to use it) while simply focusing on being more present, taking more willful action, and having stronger self-expression when you are out about your business. This is because, in my experience, meditation is most useful as a way to process charged experiences and to maintain the mechanism of one's mind after battle, rather than being a means of creating energy on its own.

 

[HoofHearted]

Curious stuff.

I guess the questions I come away with are...

Why is it implied that isolation removes man from nature? Why is the social component what seems to create energy?

And as for the reception or storage of energy... what action actually allows this, as opposed to clogging up? I.e., what allows a pipe to flow, what clogs it, how does it unclog, etc.

Or is it just a mindset?

Again, interesting stuff. 50/50 on the meditation bit though.

 

[Will_V]

Why is it implied that isolation removes man from nature? Why is the social component what seems to create energy?

It is very simple. Men are prototypes, created by nature for competition. Without competition, nothing advances, everything decays.

The most dangerous enemy, the most valuable ally, the greatest risks and opportunities all come in the form of other people. That is why most of the faculties that humans possess are dedicated toward processing and utilizing social information, and a man's drive (libido) originates in his desire for sex, even when it is sublimated toward other things.

This is why it is incredibly psychologically destructive to attempt to remove oneself from social and sexual competition. Because everything is built around it, everything within a man is built to receive effects from his environment (primarily the social one) and transform himself accordingly to increase his success. His libido cannot survive without this constant interaction, and will even judge him negatively and turn against him if he proves unwilling to put himself in a position in which it can sustain and grow itself.

And as for the reception or storage of energy... what action actually allows this, as opposed to clogging up? I.e., what allows a pipe to flow, what clogs it, how does it unclog, etc.

It's very difficult to describe the landscape of internal psychology to someone who has not encountered it themselves (I don't mean you specifically, but in the interests of making my answer generally useful, it seems necessary to try).

The easiest way to describe it is in the experience that everyone inevitably encounters: why is it not always possible to do the things you know you should, you know are good for you, and you know are the only real solutions to problems? Whether it's working out and getting in shape, meditating and improving clarity of mind, working consistently and diligently, etc.

The reality is that the subconscious mind is not within a man's control, not directly anyway. He can influence it the way he can influence another person - by putting it in an environment that pressures it to adapt, by rewarding it or (to a small extent) punishing it, but he cannot easily force it in any particular direction.

Like any other person, the subconscious mind is interested in its own pleasure and the avoidance of pain. This is why, if he tries to put himself in a situation of opportunity that may result in pain (and especially if it has resulted in pain before), it can struggle against him - by creating overwhelming lethargy, disorientation (in the case of social anxiety), an onslaught of negative emotions, etc - all designed to propel him away from that situation.

In order to obtain full control, a man may bury the negative subconscious impulse and its effects under a series of rules, epithets, and directives that exist only in his logical mind, such as affirmations or self criticism, or simply under a cascade of actions that are contrary to it.

This can work for a while - and in fact can be beneficial if it allows him to reach a place of success quickly - but if he does not achieve this success, the negative impulses of his subconscious grow, hidden away from his conscious mind which has denied it. In this way, he becomes fragmented, his positive intent becomes contaminated with negative impulses, and his sense of self loses its integrity and wholeness.

In this way, he becomes like a cracked pipe, and when the energy of life flows through him, it spurts feebly in many different directions, unable to properly focus and channel toward his goals. Or the pipe becomes clogged, in the sense that it contains an internal barrier that eludes his ability to locate and remove - that is, when his subconscious mind has developed in its opposition to his conscious intentions.
...

How does a man then fix these problems or avoid them altogether? The analogy I like to use is that a man's mind is like a cart pulled by a group of horses, or a sled pulled by dogs. His logical mind sits in the back with the whip, but the whip is only so useful. If he uses it too much, the animals rebel and may even attack him regardless of the consequences. If he doesn't use it enough, they will no longer listen to him. If he doesn't provide them with success (rewards and gratification) they eventually lie down and no amount of whipping is good enough to get them up again.

Now let's say he has to go on a journey through the wilderness, he doesn't know how long it will take, the food is limited, the conditions potentially hazardous, and plenty of opportunity for unforeseen consequences. Through this, he must not only take care of himself and his animals, but retain their loyalty and enthusiasm even when there are inevitable stretches of brutal difficulty. If he loses them in any way, he will surely perish. How will he do this?

Such is the question nature poses to every man at the command of the animals of his mind (and of other people's minds). It is not an easy question, but if he solves it, he can lead himself and others to success, his mind will offer him fierce loyalty and willingly follow his directives, and people will love and admire him.

Again, interesting stuff. 50/50 on the meditation bit though.

All I can tell you is that it has been one of the best habits I've ever cultivated. I don't think there's any other way to position oneself properly where they can get a view of their own mind and what must be done to improve it - and to rapidly achieve a sense of clear self direction.

The subconscious mind is more powerful than anything else a man has in his possession, but it is a deep dark ocean that most of the time he does not care to explore. Even when he goes there, it is difficult to see and perceive anything without spending a lot of time learning its language. But, in my opinion, it is the ultimate journey that anyone can take.

 

[Conquistador]

I tried this in class - freed myself from judgements, relaxed my entire body especially my face, had good posture, and just observed - first thing someone said for some reason is that I looked sad.

I didn’t feel any different after. Maybe I’m doing it wrong or maybe the benefits manifest in ways I cant discern.

Also, since you say we are like a tank that stores and changes energy, are you suggesting we regularly practice not reacting to things and storing up energy in the way that you described, or was that a one time exercise?

So when I as a teenager, I tried the same thing. And I looked a little weird at first. Then I gradually figured it out. It took me a long time. Now people notice it and respond positively.

I still haven't mastered it. But I'm getting results on the micro level. My posture hasn't gotten me any lays tho....not yet anyway.

 

[Conquistador]

The only thing that has really helped me is being present/in the moment, and making sure i'm physiologically alright (esp sleep).

Honestly taking care of the hardware is a pretty important fundamental. One that doesn't get enough attention.

I'm not necessarily a typical case, but my physiological state basically makes or breaks my passive attractiveness.

 

[Conquistador]

The worst state that a man can be in is that of apathy. He struggles to get out of bed in the morning, his body feels like nothing more than a means by which gravity can impart its crushing force on him. The simplest of tasks, the simplest of expressions, require his utmost concentration: concentration that squeezes the drops of his life out to soak feebly into mundane things, and then leaves him exhausted, spent, unable to move, until some emergency mechanism of his natural life cycle, as if prepared in pitied advance of his overwhelming emptiness, injects him with another small portion to carry him through another day of his aimless existence.

This is a man operating at the very margin of life itself. The idea of going out into the world, of conceiving enterprise and setting it into unstoppable action, of finding anything in himself that could possibly capture or hold for even a moment the spritely attention of a beautiful girl, is far beyond him. He does not know who or what he is, all he knows is that he is far away from the true path, for nothing gives him satisfaction.

Sometimes, he forces himself to go to her. She observes him moving toward her, opening his mouth and speaking, arranging his face into a semblance of a smile, but his every act is that of a man, parched with thirst, wading through a desert that provides him with no sustenance, but ensures that every drop of his life force that he lets spill instantly vanishes into the endless sand, never to return. Unable to offer him anything, she moves away.

How does a man return to life from this place, with anything of his spirit intact? From where can he drink of life, that it might flow from him into the world?

...

Next time you are in a crowded place, try something: push out your chest and lift your chin up, and make your face as welcoming as the morning sun. Walk slowly, let your momentum roll you forward, only putting each foot out to not fall forward onto the ground. As people walk by, don't move left or right, but slow down or speed up to prevent a collision. Whatever happens, don't allow anything to interrupt the serene gentleness of your countenance. It doesn't matter what fears, anxieties, anger, impulses or anything else arise from within you, simply ignore it, bring your attention back and focus on making an invitation to life.

What will happen? You will find that people, men and women, will react to you. Some will try to make you move aside. Some will express potent emotions toward you in the expectation of a reaction. Some will veer toward you, not with any particular goal in mind, but to see what kind of invitation you really are offering, some doubtful, others hopeful, some friendly and curious, others hostile, some expressing anger, others pain. Whatever happens, do not react in any way. Do not approve or disapprove. Do not judge. Do not seize any opportunity. Do not react. Do not defend yourself. Your only job is to invite life to come as it is, to hold that offer open, and nothing else.

As you walk along you will find yourself desperately trying to react to the experience. You will find yourself anxious, angry, happy, troubled, serene, gleeful, you will experience a kind of series of highs and lows. You will be tempted, when you feel a high, to wrap it up, to steal a win, to release the pressure in a self-approving way. Do not do this. Be serene, relax your muscles, invite life toward you. At some point, you will simply know you've had enough. That's when you stop.

What, you might ask, is the purpose of all this? I will tell you. That afternoon, or that night, go to the gym, or sit down at your desk with your project in front of you, and express the boundless energy that now exists within you. You will work all night without pause, and the feeling of gravity trying to tear at your muscles as you lift the bar will be like a sweet wine. Every movement you make, every step you take, will resonate through the fabric of time and space. Your quiet words will fall like a low drum, your smallest step will make the whole world turn and look at you wide-eyed.

Congratulations, you have discovered the true relationship between man and energy.

...

A man is born for one thing, and one thing only: to transform energy. The world around him is full of energy of all kinds, energy that moves around in the world and operates on everything in it. Much of it is broken energy, fragmented, jumbled, confused energy. His job is to gather it up, to focus it like a laser beam, and express it potently in one form or another, to give it meaning.

A man is built with a large tank to store energy. Everything that happens to him imparts energy on him. His defeats, his successes, his enemies and his friends, his lovers and his haters, gravity and the wings he builds to overcome it, all impart their energy on him. He can, if he allows himself to, store an incredible lot of energy. And he can turn it into whatever he chooses.

However, sometimes he forgets that. He sees all the energy moving around in the world and conceives of himself as nothing more than a subject, a target, a plaything for that energy to mess around with. Sometimes he confronts it violently or fearfully, and it snaps at him and injures him. He becomes preoccupied with finding ways to defend himself against it, to capture it and isolate it from being able to have any effect on him.

When a molecule of lighter energy bounces into him, he grabs it and jams it into the static wall he has built around his ego, where it can never transform into anything greater or more beautiful, where it serves to allow him, perhaps, to survive the onslaught of another night. He fears and avoids darker energy - the energy of need, of pain, of instability, of desire - its touch is unbearable to him. He pushes back on it, whether it comes from within or without, and spends his life force overcoming it, rendering it inert, a transaction that for him can never equal, at best, anything more than zero.

Sometimes, when some energy touches him, like a hot potato he throws it instantly back at the direction of some enemy. Or he drops it on the ground and stamps it into the dirt. In other words, it provokes an instant reaction in him. He does not know why, but he knows that it is unbearable for it to be around him, and he experiences a moment of satisfaction in his violent rebuttal of it.

What is the result? The result is that his tank is always empty. Like a fireplace that is afraid of being burned, he allows no fuel near it. He was designed as the ultimate purveyor of life energy, something to transform the listless into the purposeful, the jumbled into the ordered, the fragmented into the whole, the inert into the dynamic, the incapable into the capable. And yet in the very thing which every part of his mind and body was designed to govern, he discovers only abject fear - his own.

Women who look at him see this fireplace - a cold, dark, metallic emptiness where there should be a roaring flame, and move away.

...

What happens when a man properly transforms energy? To begin with, he must not react to it, for this taints it and spends its potential into something foul and inert. People reacting to energy is what has made it all jumbled in the first place. The more welcoming and serene he is as it comes over to him, the more pure and rich it remains, and the more potential he has for creating something with it. He will feel it moving around listlessly in his soul, and he will be tempted to try and tear it away from him and destroy it, but if he successfully holds himself, it will lay down and wait for him to do something with it. The more he can gather and hold within himself, the more tension he can bear in his soul without reacting, the more powerful is his expression.

It is said that every good thing in a man comes about as a result of trauma. This is because trauma and pain are incredibly potent forms of energy, and the ultimate test of a mans capabilities are found in transforming it into something creative. The more pain and trauma he has faced with his chest open and his arms spread wide, that he has invited in and transformed according to his will into something constructive and beautiful, the more powerful and at ease he is with his masculinity. Women and men alike are transfixed by him, for he represents the ultimate goal of creation itself, the enemy of decay, the great motor of existence, and they come to him to be transformed in various ways.

Nothing can break his serene countenance, instead he absorbs the energy of its impact. And when he wishes to subdue chaos, the quietest word and the smallest gesture crackle with the thunder of all the energy he has absorbed throughout his lifetime. And in his eyes women see a fire roaring hot, and like moths they come to warm themselves near it and wonder at the way it moves and crackles and sometimes reaches out and touches something for a brief moment, to transform it forever.

And in solitude, this man smiles to himself with childish delight, for he realizes that everywhere around him, in everything, in all the best and worst things in the world, exist an endless supply of fuel, an infinity of potential. It bounces and tumbles around, and he sees everyone running around defending themselves from it, hiding under tables and kicking at shadows, and he laughs as he stands there and lets it all come and swirl around him, the light and the dark, the good, the bad, and the ugly. His friends offer him energy as a gift, and his enemies lavish it upon him. Fuel enough for a thousand trips to Mars, a fire hot enough to seduce a thousand princesses. And all he has to do is to go out and meet the chaos of life, to welcome it without reacting or defending himself, to let it spend itself upon him and collapse in a heap in the stables of his soul, where tomorrow he will come and saddle it, and it will carry him forward on his journey.

Just read this fully and slowly and all I can say is...wow. Wow!

Tysm for explaining all that and putting it together in a clear and consistent framework. As a person currently affected by serious energy issues (not so much the lack of it as the utter lack of an orderly way of managing it) I'm extremely grateful.

But I'm skeptical that simply absorbing energy without reacting is helpful for those of us who haven't figured out how to manage it.