Strength From Each Other

There's another thing from which we can draw spiritual energy, and I'm not talking about the Sunday School answers, though those work, too. In addition to prayer, scriptures study, etcetera, and spending time in (or at least looking at) nature, we can also draw energy from a surprising source: Each other.

I just finished watching a Let's Play of a game called Journey. In Journey, the main mode of transportation is walking and sometimes sliding. There is a button you can hold down to fly, but the energy you use to fly depletes quickly. There are a handful of ways to replenish that energy, one of which is standing near other players. When two Journey players stand near each other, they both regain energy.

When I first saw it, this seemed like an odd mechanic. I'm used to living in the physical world where energy has to come from somewhere. Plants absorb energy from the sun, animals absorb energy from plants, and so on. For anything to gain energy in the physical world, it has to take that energy from somewhere else. It's a zero-sum game. It may even be a less-then-zero-sum game, if I remember my physics lessons correctly.

But we're not talking about physical energy. If we were, one Journey player could only gain energy from another by depleting the amount of energy the other player had. Instead, they both gain energy. I theorize that this is possible because they aren't using physical energy (which, in hindsight, should have been obvious, since they get it from glowing, floating postage stamps, store it in scarves, and use it to fly). I believe that the travellers in Journey actually use something more like spiritual or emotional energy, the kind we can get from each other.

There's a special feeling we get when we spend time with loved ones. It gives us feelings of peace and contentment, and, just like in Journey, it can give us the energy we need to face and overcome the trials that lie ahead. And, somehow, it goes both ways. When two people who like each other hug each other or hold each others' hands, both are strengthened by it. I'm not sure how this could possibly work, physically, but spiritually, I know it does. I have very recently felt the energy that comes from being close to a loved one, and I'm sure that they simultaneously felt a similar energy come from being close to me.

If you feel like you could use some spiritual energy, or if someone you love looks like they're running low, spending time with that loved one may be a good way to strengthen both of you. It doesn't work for everyone in every situation. There are times when people would rather be left alone. But sometimes, two people can gain spiritual strength from being near each other, and that can be a wonderful and amazing thing.