The Flow of Energy

Ripple Effects: How Moments become Movements

The momentum that shapes history and the forces that create that energy are of interest to me. Embedded into our psyches are ideas ranging from new age mysticism to the elegance of ancient Buddhist and Hindu traditions that predate many Christian values. The common threads of humanity are woven into a fabric binding us to all corners of the globe. That thread weaves through time as well. How people, communities, institutions and countries interact have their roots in histories that play out repeatedly. Civilizations rise and fall, leaders are lauded and vilified, the corrupt abuse and we repeat these scenarios like a hamster on a wheel. These moments are often pivotal, historic and should be seen far beyond the narrow ideas of good and evil. What is is, so all we can do is redirect ripples or try to create new ones.

As Sun Tzu described it in his chapter on shi in The Art of War, “those skilled at making the enemy move do so by creating a situation to which he must conform.” — Michael Pillsbury

This external force that shape events is relevant to all students of history. Shi can be implemented in every facet of life, from interpersonal interactions to global political agendas. Since I started digesting and researching shi about six weeks ago, a more personal idea comes to mind. For me shi is ultimately an ‘unfolding’. It’s a fork in the road that alters paths, an overcoming of inertia into action, some force that brings about change in a specific environment, creating a web of possibilities. My mostly western mind thinks of it as a power that creates a set of events where ripple effects dominate.

Everyone has a favorite story in literature or in their personal lives, where there was a moment that can be pinpointed, elusive like wisps of smoke, that altered the direction of their lives. Unfortunately, it is often seen in hindsight with negative connotations, particularly when people make poor choices leading to less than desirable outcomes. I choose to look at these events as the building blocks to something beautiful or worthwhile unfolding. Where there is crisis there is opportunity.

The concept of a force that shapes our daily moments and historic movements spans the globe. Our actions and the energy we put into them have momentum to create or destroy. While shi is more complex in that it ties action to energy, the fundamentals have been taught for thousands of years. In Japan it is called ki, in India, prana. The ancient Egyptians referred to it as ka, the Mayans called it chu’lel, the Maori call it mauri. For Native Americans it is the Great Spirit and for Christians, the Holy Spirit. And so it goes on from culture to culture…

The idea of a life force that permeates the universe has a similarity to ‘shi’ without the actionable component. It is the momentum that creates shifts in thinking like the civil disobedience of Gandhi or MLK leading to radical changes in society. Imagine positioning that force, that shi, to create favorable circumstances.

Prana is the energy that pulsate throughout the cosmos. It’s the basis of Ayurvedic, Tantric, and Hathic traditions. As anyone who has linked movement to breath can attest, there is something powerful in that moment of unity. Action tied to energy and intention has a tangible quality that feels as though it could move mountains.

Chinese, Korean and Japanese Buddhists speak about ‘chi’ (qi or ki) or as being a similar force to prana. The Toaist concept of chi conceptualizes the vibrational energy that animates all things. In both the Ayurvedic and Chinese traditions these concepts are used to heal the body of sickness, through martial arts, meditation and acupuncture. As with many ideas there is a fine line between help and harm.

In Mahayana Buddhism, there are guidelines of practice called the six perfections or paramitas. Virya is the fourth paramita and describes the perfection of energy. Virya comes from the sanskrit word ‘hero’. Without constant effort and diligence, goals remain just out of reach. The objective is not to mindlessly fill an empty void, but is to manifest outcomes through ethical actions. Our whole life is a fluid practice of achieving those goals and bending that energy towards it.

My ten year long experience with meditation, yoga, and martial arts have made me a believer even though I’m a natural skeptic, preferring raw data to make decisions. In pursuing these traditions I have felt pure presence and unadulterated joy in the smallest of things. The most significant aspect of these moments was awareness tied to action. Shi exists on a person to person level but as anyone can extrapolate, we are in a tremendous moment of global societal upheaval and what applies on the personal applies on the global.

I realize there is a spiritual aspect to these ideas that can be dismissed as a little flaky. Meditation, martial arts, tai chi, yoga have very long roots and often influence strategic fields like political analysis and warfare. Battles often have moments where shifts of power allow for a victor. Please do not dismiss the concept of shi or anything like it lightly before looking at the earth, our history, and this present moment holistically. A couple of my favorite quotes from the Art of war apply to all aspects of life, micro to macro.

“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” — Sun Tzu, The Art of War

I use the idea of a unifying force to grow as a human being. To attempt (and often fail) to be a better version of myself than the day before. To crush my own obstacles, real or imagined, be aware of my weakness and find humility in my strengths. I utilize a whole skill set of tools I’ve been taught over the years to try and achieve that goal. Although I am able, I try not to use any situation or advantages I have to manipulate others. Using leverage against others with ideals that don't align with mine is a win-lose scenario. Cooperation is my life philosophy so that kind of thinking doesn’t sit well with my moral compass. Cultivation of our better selves is an art and should be a goal for everyone. Cooperative competition is an achievable goal as long as we collectively aspire to it, creating that environment, that ‘shi’.

Whether through collective conscience or hive mind, similar concepts have manifested in different timelines and varying locations all over the world. The concept of a universal force that connects us all is pervasive throughout many cultures. The manipulation of that force for self serving purposes can be destructive with ripples we can never really anticipate because no one can possibly be omniscient enough to see all ends.

For those of us who have a strong spiritual centers we tend to seek answers within rather than guidance from others. What if we were to find a spiritual center and common thread in every human being, in their suffering, their joy and aspirations? While I know I have it in me to be ruthless, it is not in my innate nature to deliberately harm others. I truly believe we have the ability to create societies that are cooperatively competitive. Rather than zero sum thinking, where even if you win you lose, cooperation was our default position. This would prevent the slow creep towards the cliff edge that the world so desperately seems advancing towards. That kind of mutually assured destruction that is created by dominance and the suppression of our fellow man. History reveals it is this unfolding that we create, this shi without thought to consequence, that often has dire consequences. The responsibility for our current state affairs is ours to deal with; the onus should not have to fall on future generations.

Wouldn’t that be the gift of a lifetime? A future full of equity, possibility and true freedom to seek out our full human potential. That potential, that shi, is something I would gladly bend my will towards. I would like this moment to create that movement.

Thank you for reading my meanderings. I’m feeling very sentimental of late with a strong ‘love thy enemy’ vibe but ‘tolerate no bullshit’. I hope your families are healthy, find peace and stay that way for all our sakes.

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