As the title suggests, I’m getting nerdy in this post. You’ve been warned….

First I want to say that I’m not an expert in science or anything of the sort. I’ve taken general Chem and various Biology courses for my degree, but I’m by no means a scientist in the academic sense. However, that is not to say that I don’t ask questions of the world around me, test out theories and act accordingly upon getting results… but I think that’s called learning from your mistakes. By that token, we should all be considered scientists.

Anyway, I’m in the process of reading 4 books, actively. I switch between them, depending on my mood. (As a small aside, I don’t have a television, on purpose, any longer so I have a lot more time to devote to reading… as if to say I watched much tv, because I really didn’t)

One of them was written in the early 1900’s and was pretty controversial, and so far, I can see why it’s likely to still be controversial if the masses actually cared. It’s written by Aleister Crowley and for those that may have read his books, it’s not an easy read. It’s very scientific, spritual and also happens to be written in “Old” English. One of the other books is a book on happiness, called The Happiness Myth. This book is also a tough read because the writer uses historical writings from the world’s great thinkers, scientists and spiritual leaders to make the point that happiness isn’t some unattainable, romanticized thing, but a real, tangible, attainable experience that we can have as often as we want. Pretty heavy stuff.

So the Crowley book and the Happiness book have similar general ideas about you, the individual, and your relation to the world around you. At a very basic level, they both assert that each person is a star, a unique, orbiting, free, entity by which all other things are equal and equally independent. They both also state that while each star is independent, we are all part of a greater symphony of stars, part of a galaxy of stars, where we must learn to maintain our own orbit, but also interact with those around us.

Here’s where I drop some actual science: Those of you that have taken Chem, you’ll know exactly what this is.

This is an electron map for an atom. It’s a generic one, so if you’re feeling super scientific, I’m sure you can figure out what element it is, I just don’t have the time. The point is this: The atoms orbit the nucleus of an atom based on charge, and strength of the charges between the nucleus and the electron itself. Now, this is just the “best guess” of where the electrons for this particular atom will be at any given time. However, every single electron can be ANYWHERE at any time. Anywhere. In all of space. It boils down, again, to charges and strength. Am I losing you?

Ok, so if you take out the word nucleus and put in the word Sun, this is a generic model of a solar system. Not ours, of course because we have different planets… but again, it’s all based on charges and strength. Small, weak planets are closer to the sun because it’s SUPER attractive, right? The big planets that are strong in themselves, further away.

Back to electrons: They are the attractive and detractive (is that even a word?) forces in everything. If you feel calm, it’s often because your electrons are not “excited”, which means they’re not spinning quickly or vibrating within their orbit very fast. (Note: every electron vibrates and spins within it’s space, how quickly depends on it’s nature and the interactions with other electrons)

Electrons also want to, generally, be as far away from everything as possible. They are negatively charged remember. So, they can leave their expected orbit because other electrons are invading their space. However, there are certain reactions where electrons are shared, swapped, and all together lost between entities, all for the sake of harmony and balance. Now here’s where I bring it back to happiness: Surrounding yourself (and all your tiny electrical pulses: electrons) with other entities (people, objects, animals, etc) that create balance and harmony is the fundamental laws of nature. Working within your own orbit, satisfying your own goals, so long as you’re not screwing up someone else’s orbit, and getting excited while seeking harmony and balance…. THAT is what we are all striving for, on a truly basic, elemental level. All this humanity crap just gets in the way.

I really like that idea… that we are independent, yet interconnected in a greater sense, seeking a life of balance and harmony (stability) with others that excite our electrons, but not so much that we are repelled by one another. (Again, negatively charged… repelling)

I’m sorry if I lost you, my nerd escaped for a minute. Back to your regularly scheduled programming. :)