Where Does Energy Go?
The law of conservation of energy states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed - only converted from one form of energy to another.
If that’s true, what happens to our energy as we age? It’s obvious that older people are not as energetic as young kids.
When we’re young, our energy is channeled into dreams of the future and making ourselves significant in the world. Our ego feeds our energy and our energy feeds our ego.
Things change in the second half of life. What we do becomes less important than who we are. Our ego takes a back seat to what’s really important in life. In the first half of life, our operating system is the ego. In the second half of life, our operating system is the soul.
Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology, coined the term "afternoon of life" to refer to the second half of a person's life, typically starting anywhere from 35 to 60 or later. According to Jung, this period is characterized by a shift in focus from external goals and accomplishments to inner reflection and self-discovery.
“We cannot live the afternoon of life according to the program of life’s morning, for what was great in the morning will be little at evening and what in the morning was true, at evening will have become a lie.” —Carl Jung
Jung believed that during this phase of life, individuals are called to explore their inner selves, confront their shadow aspects, and integrate all aspects of their personality, including their unconscious aspects. He referred to this process as individuation, which he saw as a natural developmental process that leads to greater wholeness and a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in life.
Many older individuals have converted that youthful physical energy into spiritual energy. They are on their own “Hero’s Journey” into their inner world to understand what Jon Kabat-Zinn called “Full Catastrophe Living.”
"You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” —Jon Kabat-Zin
Kabat-Zinn suggests that we learn to "surf" the waves of life, staying present and aware, and responding skillfully to whatever comes our way. The waves continue to come as we age.
My dear friend, Bill Zaner, said that when he turned 50, he realized that it was time to stop being a teenager and get serious about life. What does it mean to get serious about life?
Maybe it means to quit looking outside of ourselves for answers or gratification and use that energy that we thought was lost to start an inward journey to find out who we really are. Instead of thinking about our energy as a finite source that is being depleted as we move closer to death, maybe we should think about it being transformed into spiritual energy - the energy to think deeply about things that really matter. Thinking is harder than doing.
There is only one solution if old age is not to be an absurd parody of our former life, and that is to go on pursuing ends that give our existence a meaning — devotion to individuals, to groups or to causes, social, political, intellectual or creative work… In old age we should wish still to have passions strong enough to prevent us turning in on ourselves. One’s life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship, indignation, compassion. —Simone de Beauvoir
The Navajo Indians are known for their exquisite handwoven rugs, which often feature intricate designs and vibrant colors. One interesting aspect of Navajo rug weaving is the intentional inclusion of imperfections in the finished product.
The intentional inclusion of imperfections serves as a reminder to embrace the beauty in imperfection and to approach life with a sense of creativity and openness. These imperfections are called “spirit doors.”
As we age, more spirit doors are opening for us. We’re invited to walk through and discover what’s on the other side and reconnect with the energy that we thought was lost.