Physics of Consciousness: Activation Energy

There are countless parallels between how the material universe functions and how consciousness functions because they function the same.

One example of this is called activation energy.

In chemistry, activation energy is the minimum amount of energy which must be available to a chemical system with potential reactants to result in a chemical reaction. The chemical reaction itself can be endothermic where the reaction proceeds with the absorption of heat or it can be exothermic where the reaction proceeds with the release of heat.

In both cases, the systems remain at a given state until sufficient energy is input so as to cause the reaction to proceed; this is the activation energy.

In an endothermic reaction, the energy of the original reactants is steady and when it is increased to a sufficient degree, the barrier of resistance is overcome and the reaction proceeds, producing a new, higher energy state.

In an exothermic reaction, the energy of the original reactants is steady and when it is increased to a sufficient degree, the barrier of resistance is overcome and the reaction proceeds, producing a new, lower energy state.

These same principles can be applied to how consciousness functions by observing that we, ourselves, require a sufficient activation energy in order to undergo a change of state. This reaction proceeds only when sufficient energy is input.

For example, if someone chooses to learn a new language and does so for a day or three, they have began to input energy into that specific area of their awareness. However, if the activation energy is not input, then the reaction will not proceed and instead they will fall back to their original state over time, just as a reaction would.

When sufficient energy is input, then they will break through the barrier of resistance and enter a new steady-state. This requires more energy than the steady-state itself, but the overall outcome of learning a language begins to manifest. This does not happen once but rather repetitively as new states are reached. This would be an example of an endothermic reaction.

Exothermic reactions can occur when we do things that are not beneficial. For example, when we invest energy into enforcing laws that restrict others, in the short term we see benefits because there are so many people that it requires more energy to reach a new state. There are many reasons to make decisions that limit others and we can make decisions that appear in our best interest. In fact, as energy is invested, just like an exothermic reaction, the total energy increases.
Until it doesn't.

When sufficient energy is input, then it can lead to the collapse of a society or government. An example of this would be to imprison one person may not cause the citizens of a country to stand against the system, but to imprison enough it would. If there are enough people imprisoned, then the reasons for that imprisonment would branch out further and further and would no longer be reasonable. The more we restrict as a whole, the more energy investment we are doing, the closer to an exothermic reaction we become. At this point, an overall degradation to a lower energy state occurs where the average state of one's life is drastically less energetic.

Feel the Gravity

Endothermic reactions in consciousness lead to increased mass and thereby increased gravity. If someone knows nothing about a certain topic, then the gravity that they have is low and does not pull others in. As a lower mass, the radiation that it puts off is less as well. If I were to try to teach Japanese, for example, no one would listen because I don't know any Japanese.

The same goes for a large system that invests energy into exothermic reactions. This causes decrease in its mass so that its gravitational effects reduce and its radiation is less impactful.

Thus, it is paramount that we be mindful of what type of reactions our actions achieve. If we want a better society, then we need to produce endothermic reactions. These would be where we support one another rather than limit one another. Support may not produce immediate results, but when we ensure we are inputting sufficient activation energy, then we can achieve great things and experience a high steady-state for all.

It either works until it doesn't, or it doesn't work until it does. Which type of reaction do you want?