Energy can be Destroyed – A Blueprint for Transferring it Across Generations

I was a science student in Secondary School and one of the first things I learnt in Physics is the law of conservation of energy which states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It can only be converted from one form of energy to another. This means that a system always has the same amount of energy unless it's added from the outside. I agree, but there seems to be a notable area where this does not hold true.

In the many years that I have observed and studied humans, I have slightly changed my views on the matter of the indestructibility of energy. To be clear, I am yet to see a contrary view on the matter as it pertains to physics and so I believe that the assertion about energy is still true in the physical world of physics.

But in the realm of human interaction, some energy gets destroyed, it just goes puff, into thin air and disappears. Let us dig in a little because this matter is critical and can help you as you plan for posterity.

Energy is the ability to do work or cause change. We see it in a fire burning or a kettle boiling. In human interaction which is the focus of this article, energy is synonymous with power and authority. People exert energy when they work or get other people to do things as they do work or cause change.

It is a beauty to see a man or woman wield power with integrity and benevolence. This power may be due to his position of authority, economic power, spiritual enlightenment, or some other factors. He is a shining light, a burst of energy as he radiates and imbues his community which sometimes transverses nations. Unfortunately, this energy does not last forever nor is it easily transferable. Soon enough, it gets extinguished and it is no more as the man is laid to rest!

I know that you may have seen this happen too. A typical example is in the political space. Such political influence or power is an energy that is often extinguished when a man leaves office or dies. Let us discuss the nature of this energy more to see why it is important that it is transferred before it is destroyed.

Consider my father. He was quite an influential man both in the congregation and in my community. He was a knowledgeable person, reckoned as an authority in his fields of endeavor, and generally regarded as a wise man. He had his circle of friends and was generally well-regarded. While he was alive, I acted in his name and got some good results that were commensurate to those he would get if he had acted himself. But sadly the effects of acting in his name seemed to have vanished when the man died.

Over the years, my dad had built a name for himself based on who he was and how he interacted with people. He had a history with people. People owed him favors which unfortunately were not redeemable at death. He was a principled man based on values he had developed over the years. He also had access to funds that just closed when he died. The energy just disappeared. Can you get the drift yet? At death, a man loses his ability to act and bring about change. Well, this is a known fact, what is not carefully considered is that this ‘energy’, ability which ordinarily is destroyed at death, can be transferred to some other person if the ‘mighty man’ were to act with deliberate intentions to transfer and grow it into the next generation.

My Dad was just a local player but let us consider this in the context of political energy. I know people who were kingmakers and installed Presidents, Governors, and Legislators. Their word was law and they reigned supreme while alive. Then, they died and it became impossible for their children or anyone else to wield such power. One such man’s son couldn’t even win his Party’s nomination for State Assembly elections – a position that would have been beneath him in the hay days of his father. The energy that was his father’s just got destroyed! It is also the same in business. A man may be a behemoth while alive, but his family begs for bread shortly after his demise. His house goes into disrepair and everything goes to rot – energy gets destroyed!

Apart from the demise of the ‘energizer’, one other factor that has made wards destroy energy that they should have inherited is the misguided quest to leave their own legacy that most people have. This is borne out of the unwise saying that ‘when you walk in another person's footsteps, you will not leave footprints of your own’. This has caused mentees to oppose their mentors, sometimes even while the mentor is alive. Let me illustrate how this factor destroys energy with 2 contrasting political examples.

In the recent past, a frontline politician mounted deep opposition against his father who was a political juggernaut and his mentor. He supported a candidate against his father’s. His win over his father seems to be the point of the demise of his father’s influence and the rise of his own. Unfortunately, that really marked the destruction of that formidable energy. Although he rose quite high, the energy his father wielded is gone for good and he hasn’t retained his as it was tied to the position he held at the time. Energy can be destroyed. This man would have gotten plenty more support for his push for higher office if his father’s influence had been there when he ran for President.

The Bush family is a political dynasty in the United States. ‘Family members have held various national and state offices spanning across four generations, including that of U.S. senator (Prescott Bush); governor (Jeb Bush and George W. Bush); and president (George H. W. Bush, who had previously served as vice president, and George W. Bush).’ The family is still a formidable political force in the United States. A little study will show the transfer of energy from one generation to the next. Energy can be preserved and transferred in social settings as in physical ones.

Many examples of instances of the preservation and transfer of energy as well as its destruction abound in politics, business, religion, and all facets of life. So what will it be for you? How can you keep your energy bubbling and not be destroyed? 

Transfer it while you are still alive and well! Below are some of the things you can do:

• The 1st order of business is to identify wards and mentees to transfer your energy to and you must begin to consciously groom them to become powerful.
• There really are no shortcuts to the transfer of energy – your wards must get their hands dirty with hard work. They must learn the ropes from the ground up. Acting as their mentor, you must allow them to gather the knowledge relevant to the area that you wield power. Unlike you, though they won’t be starting from the very scratch.
• Then, you must allow them to try out their hands in the business you are involved in. Let them handle transactions on their own while you give guidance. You may be able to ‘sponsor’ a Governor, but your ward must not cut corners if you wish to be successful in transferring your energy. The ward may start off as a Counsellor to learn the ropes. You may be a CEO, but it is wise to let your ward start off as an intern and then steadily rise as he understands the business. If you push them into the tough jobs without the learning curve, they will turn out to be paperweight champions who cannot hold their own ground without you. This is one of the reasons the businesses of some very powerful businessmen crumble when they die.
• Next, introduce them to your contacts & help them to become necessary to those people, not just as a pipeline to you. Devolve real powers to them. Allow them to stand on their feet.
• Let them be known for something, that is tangible, whether you, the ‘Baba’ is there or not.

These steps apply to all facets of life, not just to politics, although I generously used instances of that to make the points. Are you a spiritual man? A successful or struggling businessman? Pass that energy to the next generation, teach them to avoid your mistakes, and pass on what progress you have made as a building block.

You may not think of yourself as a great person, right now, but think about what legacy you would be building if you could transfer your influence to your wards, they to theirs, and on and on. In every field of human endeavor, you would be enriching the lives of future generations. Energy can be destroyed, begin the transfer process now!

Credits:

Lightening: Image by vectorpouch on Freepik

Business meeting: Image by macrovector on Freepik
Empty Mike: Image by Rochak Shukla on Freepik

History of Energy: https://home.uni-leipzig.de/energy/energy-fundamentals/01.htm#:~:text=Between%201842%20and%201847%2C%20Julius,from%20one%20form%20to%20another.
The Bush family: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_family
Different Generations: Image by Freepik