Love’s Dynamic

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A walk in the forest or along a deserted beach has a different ‘feel’ then a walk in the city. A rock concert will produce a different energy than a symphony. Walk into one office and it feels good to be there; walk into another and you can’t get out fast enough.

These are just a few examples of different vibrations we pick up on a daily basis. The walk on the beach is restful because the rhythmic sound of the waves rolling onto the shore emits an energy we pick up as soothing. Put even a few people on that same beach and the restfulness of your walk will be diminished, at least to some degree, by the vibrations being emitted by those people, particularly if their enjoyment includes playing rap from a boom box at full volume.

Put a group of people in a place for a specific reason and they will collectively create energy that can range from the beautiful and sublime to a killing spree. A wedding or convocation ceremony brings people together in celebration and the quiet joy of accomplishment. A rock concert creates a frenetic energy that coils through the crowd like an out-of-control electrical charge that suspends common sense and ‘normal’ behaviour. And then there are the sport fans that take their passion for the game and turn it into an unbridled lust for destruction.

Have you ever thought about how it is that you go to a live concert and get caught up in the excitement of the entertainment, but don’t feel that same excitement listening to the concert on the radio or CD?  Several years ago I was invited to attend a drum ceremony. It was an experience quite alien to me and therefore out of my comfort zone. At one point in the ceremony we formed an unbroken circle by holding hands. The only sound breaking the silence was the rhythmic cadence of a drum in the background. In those ten minutes or so I went from being wary of the unfamiliar to experiencing beauty at its essence. Why?   After all, it was just twenty people with a mix of personalities and backgrounds in a circle and a drum beating. What made it joyous and beautiful?  The answer is energy created by intent. The majority of the people there had been to such a ceremony before, had experienced the beauty and came with the intent of experiencing it again. People new to the ceremony, like me, came with no intent or expectation, but were able to share in the experience because of the vibrations being emitted by the majority.  The dynamics of this experience can act as a bridge to understanding the interrelationship of vibration and emotion.

We communicate our emotional state through words, tone and body language. One co-worker smiling for no apparent reason is a ray of sunshine; another is wrapped in an invisible storm cloud and you know to stay out of the way. On one day a family member wakes up angry and is critical of everything and everyone. On another day that same person starts the day whistling a merry tune and everything is right with the world. If a particular emotion is chronic, it will literally become etched on our face for the entire world to see. Contentment and happiness can be seen in the crinkles of laugh lines and a certain sparkle in the eyes. A teenager wears a perpetual pout of discontent; an elderly person shows the worries of a lifetime in the creases and valleys of their skin. These are the visible demonstration of emotions, which have been created by thought. What is not visible are the waves of energy or vibrations created by the emotion and sent outward to be felt by the people in close proximity.

In the real time of everyday living, it works this way. You are thinking of a task that needs doing. The thoughts necessary relative to the task can be complex or simple. Either way they are an electrical and chemical function of the brain using just a few of the neurons that number in the tens of thousands. It is a mechanical process. Then, a word, a smell, a sound, will trigger a memory and in the place where that memory is stored there is an emotion. The emotion could be anything from a moment of ecstasy to abject terror. Now, instead of the simple, mechanical process of thought, you have created a vibration, which could last a second with the faintest hum or be the equivalent of a hurricane that carries destructive force. The strength of the thought/emotion will determine to what extent the next person you come in contact with picks up the vibration with their own built-in receptors. That person will unconsciously interpret the vibration through their own emotional structure and pass it on to the next person met and so on and so forth.

I like to tell a story that demonstrates the underlying principle of how this works in a real life situation. One day I phoned the bank to get some information. The lady who answered the phone was professional, cheerful and helpful; too helpful. I was in a hurry and not inclined to listen to a long explanation of a dozen different things when I only wanted to know one. My inclination was to cut her off and ask her to get to the point of the call. However, I realized she was just doing her job to the best of her ability and it was, after all, only five minutes out of my life.

After hanging up, a scene was played out in my mind where I had given in to my impatience and inclination to be rude. In this mini-drama the lady’s day went from bright and cheerful to dismal and grey. Angry and hurt at what she perceived to be my unwarranted rudeness, she snaps at a co-worker who asks for help. When another customer calls for help, one who did need all the information and not just some, she is curt, unfriendly and fails to provide the information needed. In the meantime the co-worker who asked for help is seething and sends out black clouds of anger to co-workers and customers alike. Should the lady who helped me be the type that holds onto anger, she will carry it home with her and end the day by yelling at the kids and picking a fight with her husband. They both go to bed angry and wake the next day remembering all the hurtful words exchanged the night before. And so the roiling waves of anger continue their destructive path through another day affecting not just these two people, but all the other people they come in contact with throughout the day.

The scene written did not play out that way because I chose to respond to the helpful lady with good cheer and an expression of appreciation for her willingness to help. I can only imagine (and hope) that the vibrations of good will sent through the phone line resulted in the woman continuing to have a good day and cheerfully helping both co-workers and customers.

In the imagined scene the negative energy produced by the original, irritable retort had an impact felt strongly by a number of people for an extended period. This is so because the nature of anger is to feast on a perpetual loop of injury-induced thoughts. By contrast, the positive energy inherent in the gentle response would seemingly have little effect. The lady complimented would not rush over to a co-worker and exclaim over the compliment or relate it to her husband over dinner. It is unlikely the compliment would be repeated as a thought-loop throughout the day. The analogy that comes to mind for this phenomenon of human nature is the wind. The pleasure of a warm, gentle breeze is noted only in passing. A strong wind, especially one that lays down a path of destruction, is remembered for years. Why we humans tend to focus on negative energy rather than the positive will be explored later.

Variations of the scenarios noted are played out countless times across the planet in every culture at every level from children playing in the school yard to the deliberations of heads of state and corporate giants. The ultimate health and well being of the planet, and the people on it, depends on individuals at every level understanding and taking responsibility for the vibrations we create. The means to change our personal vibrations is by understanding the power and energy of love and putting into practice the elements of love. “Peace in our time” then becomes possible.

The challenge to understanding and implementing the practice of love is our own fragile humanity. We not only contend with diverse personalities and personal experience, but with a confused idea of what love is, or should be, given the many faces of love.

Human Vibrations and Emotions