The subtitle above is inscribed on a posted sticker that is now a permanent part of my bathroom mirror. It used to annoy me, felt like a pesky reminder — a moral ‘to do’ list — that I had to follow through but now I look at it as my morning mental mantra and I am glad I placed it there almost a decade ago.
As the New Year is still ringing everyone asks me about my resolution and my answer has been the same for over two decades, which is to be a better person I was the year before. Apparently, I am not the only one; according to Statista that is the #1 NY resolution amongst Americans (16%) ahead of losing weight and exercising (both at 10%). As is the case with many of us I do my best and feel that at the end of each year I accomplish my goal; however, to be truthful, not always to the extent or level I had hoped for when originally wished. It is the classic formula for progress — two steps forward, one step backwards. At times, even feels like one and a half step backwards. So I ask, why is that? Why do we continuously wish to be better people but don’t always behave up to our true best-behavior potential? Though Humanity has had the benefit of several millennia of knowledge, wisdom and insights we, collectively and individually, seem to keep falling back into the trap of bad behavior that fluctuates somewhere between abusive (hateful posts on social media) to pure evil (Nazi Germany, ethnic cleansing, et al). One can blame it on the means; it is much easier today to try and ruin a person’s reputation by a simple anonymous post, which I have unfortunately experienced myself (he listed himself as ‘The Truth’, yeah right!). Or perhaps it is the lack of community and civic leadership as is the case with the ever-expanding murder rate in Chicago. Or cross-generational culture of senseless violence we are witnessing in Syria, Iraq, Turkey and, most recently, Western Europe. Unfortunately, there are no easy or simple answers. Humanity is a complex system made up of the sum of its complex components — each and every one us! Perhaps that is indeed where the answers lie. For my answer I went back to my childhood.
As a young and very inquisitive child growing up in the southern part of the Balkans I was in awe of the genius of another Balkanite — Nikola Tesla. To make a very long story short, my family immigrated to the US, I studied physics and astronomy and became a successful tech entrepreneur but never lost touch with my deep-rooted beliefs embedded by the work and observations of Nikola Tesla who said that in order to understand the secrets of universe we need to think in terms of only three things: energy, frequency and vibration. In physics, energy is a property of objects which can be transferred to other objects or converted into different forms. And another genius I have admired deeply went even further by creating a very simple formula: E=mc2^. Assuming that we — humans (and all living things) — are indeed a bundle of energy, each one of us radiating at a specific (individual) frequency and vibrate when we connect to another living thing (via quantum entanglement, imo!) then the whole human existence begins to make sense. But what does it all mean and why should we care? Well, let’s just think about it. If we are beings of energy that means our own energy can be transferred onto another’s. We have all experienced that incredible supercharged feeling when we hear inspirational speakers or leaders speak (think Tony Robbins, John F. Kennedy or Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.). Where does their positive energy come from and how is it transferred to us? Conversely and sadly, we have also been around people that seem to display ‘negative energy’ but, once again, where does that come from and how is that transferred to us? And why does it affect us? Do these different energy ‘states’ influence our behavior? I truly believe that they indeed do but we are just not aware of it. There is a growing body of evidence based on sound scientific research on issues such as transgenerational trauma and PTSD and their impact on future generations. Well, I think it is time that we become aware of it, especially the vibrations radiating from our very own ‘energy field’ before we effect our children and our children’s children.
We all think we are positive people but are we? Always? Sometimes? Rarely? Unfortunately, there is no Geiger counter for human energy radiation so we have to gauge it ourselves. If Humanity’s energy is indeed the total sum of our own individual energies then that sum has be an astronomically large and positive number. In the end it is a zero-sum game, either you add to the positive side of the equation or not. Words like good and evil, heaven and hell, lightness or darkness, good or bad vibes, et al are mere metaphors for that feeling we go through when we feel joy and happiness (positive) or anger and stress (negative). Neither is avoidable, it is part of life; nonetheless, we need and — I dare say — MUST be much more self-aware of how we react to people and events. The number of regrets I have when I recollect the way I reacted and behaved around family, friends and colleagues are almost countless and that is AFTTER my then resolutions. Plenty or recent scientific research shows that words really do carry their own energy, both positive and negative (google plz).
The easy excuse, of course, is that we are not saints, which is deeply flawed! We are not saints because we choose not to be and that is unfortunate since we are indeed capable of being saints. So the next time someone cuts you off on the freeway, resorts to name-calling or is just plain mean and disrespectful to you be aware they are subtracting from the Sum of Humanity and the best way to respond is not to absorb it or, at the very least, don’t reflect it by mirroring their behavior. And rather than harbor negative feelings why not reach out to your estranged parent, uncle or friend and offer your positive energy without the fear of being traumatized yet again. Remember that courage and compassion carry a positive charge and the lack thereof, well you get the picture.
Being a physics geek I too created a formula: E=mc2^ but mine is different than Einstein’s. E (Energy) = m (mankind) x courage and compassion (c x c = c2^). Pretty sure both Albert and Nik would approve, smilingly. In other words, the best way to add to the Sum of Humanity is to be a good person! So, if you can’t help, just please DON’T hurt! Best… — bb
Originally published at medium.com