In my previous post we talked about how energy cannot be created or destroyed. Let’s talk about conversion of mass to energy and vice versa and what is its relevance in our daily life, in spirituality and understanding universal consciousness.
Pay great attention to this, it’s arguably, the most important of the three Newtonian laws, because it directly relates matter to energy and thus explains the genesis of everything in existence. Let’s see what science says, first.
In 1905, the German-born physicist, Albert Einstein gave us that one equation that explained how everything comes into existence and ceases to exist – the theory of relativity. His formula is E = mc2, where E= kinetic energy (in Joules), m = the mass or matter (in grams) and c = the speed of light which is 299,792 458 meters/second. Let’s understand this in simple language.
Kinetic energy is the energy consumed during movement. Every mass object (anything that has dimensions) possesses the potential to move in space. This potential exists because it has within a potential energy. This potential energy is energy at rest within the mass object – that which is not being utilized to do any work or movement. In Einstein’s formula, this potential energy is ‘c2’ times its mass in grams. This is also called kinetic energy, ‘E’ when movement is involved or if the mass is converted into sheer energy.
The concept of the inter-convertibility of mass and energy is not unique to Einstein. A little over 100 years before the theory of relativity was proposed, Samuel Hahnemann proposed the theory of homeopathy, a medical science entirely based on conversion of mass to energy.
Samuel Hahnemann
After various experiments, Hahnemann observed that certain extracts of plant and animal origin when administered to healthy volunteers, produced certain specific symptoms. The important feature of these cures was that the extracts were not in mass form; the original extract was pulverized repeatedly until the sheer energy of the extract was captured in an alcoholic solution, which then could be absorbed on sugar pills to administer to the volunteers. He meticulously noted the syndromes each of these extracts produced. These were referred to as ‘drug pictures’. The next step was important in his completion of theorization of homeopathy. He found that when a remedy was administered to a patient having a same drug picture it produced in healthy volunteers, it produced a cure! It was energy working to cure disturbed energy within a human body. Over 220 years later, more than 4000 remedies are still used successfully in treatment of diseases, especially chronic conditions, and conditions for which allopathy doesn’t have much to offer.
Homeopathic remedies
The inter-convertibility of mass and energy also helped us explain the origin of the first living organisms on Earth. It is an assumption, at the present time, that these first living organisms must have formed out of condensation of energy. Due to our inability to transcend time and space, we are unable to witness this firsthand but have to accept it in theory.
But hold on.
Actually, religion understood this inter-convertibility much before science did. Most of the major religions seem to agree on birth, rebirth and reincarnation. A substantial part of mythology of all religions is based on belief in a Universal Power (which is alluded to as God, Jesus, Allah, Brahma or any other name) from which the Universe was formed and of which we are all a part. Mythology is replete with examples of beings with superhuman powers, and of reincarnations. All these are nothing but scientific descriptions of inter-conversion of mass and energy. From the religious point of view, therefore, human beings and reincarnations are simply conversions of mass to energy and God is the sum-total of all the energy that exists in the Universe.
Reincarnation in Jainism
Just compare and see:
Religion Science
God Universal energy
Soul Sum-total of all the energy in the living body
Good deed Harmonious energy utilization – benefits
Bad deed (sin) Discordant energy utilization – harms
How does this help in harmonizing our conscious universal connection?
Look at it scientifically or religiously, when we use our body energy in the form of thoughts, words or actions, to interact with any other living or non-living object, it is simply practical to do so harmoniously. If we don’t we are likely to harm ourselves and harm others. Remember that everything around us is part of the Universe – so if we are discordant with any object around us, we are discordant with the Universal Power itself (God in religious terms), which is going to be detrimental in one way or another. If we misuse a machine or gadget it may malfunction, if we use harsh words or physically harm someone, we will need to face the consequences legally, socially or financially or the karma may simply come to bite us in the ass later. So it makes practical sense to try and remain in harmony as much of the time of conscious living as is possible. This second Newtonian law helps us understand why.
In my next post, we’ll talk about transfer of energy from one object to another.
