I was a physics major in college. I struggled with challenging courses such as quantum mechanics, electromagnetics, classical dynamics and thermal dynamics. The memory of racking my brain to understand series of theorems and principles in the university library is still fresh. Two decades have passed since I graduated from that university and I still remember the most universal principle that encompassed most of the courses – the Principle of Conservation.
Almost all physics textbooks started with the phrase, “According to the principle of conservation…” The Principle of Conservation says that the total sum of a mass of oxygen and a mass of hydrogen is conserved even if the form of the matter changes. For example, water’s form may change from liquid to vapor or ice, but the content of water is conserved. In another example, the sum of the varying heights of the two ends of a seesaw (teeter-totter) never changes. The principle says that when something changes in its form or movement, the corresponding outcome changes accordingly.
We can apply the Principle of Conservation to life. While I have grown up through high school years, then become a college student, engineer, and now counselor, progressively gaining in authority and power, my parents have moved into their older years, thereby losing their influence and physical vitality. I have also seen that manipulative ‘takers’ who have taken advantage of others, come to pay for their actions in the long run, and that benevolent ‘givers’ who have treated others with kindness come to be recognized and rewarded. This principal also applies to justice: it ensures that if there is loss in one situation then there will be gain somewhere else.
Can we apply this principle to people suffering from mental illness? Might a person suffering from depression be more hopeful by thinking that his or her loss, experienced through depression, might result in a gain, now or later, for someone else?
It’s painful to lose a job, or live with COVID-19 limits, or to have a physical malady, or to be in a broken relationship. When our life goes down, like one side of a seesaw, I firmly believe that the other end goes up, maintaining the delicate balance of life. I admit that it is extremely difficult to consider the upside of life when we are at the downside. But the Principle of Conservation is worth considering, especially when we are at a low point. If we understand the power and mystery of the Principle of
Conservation, maybe we will learn to be humble when things are going well. And when things are not going well, not to despair.
This lesson from Physics nas been a special gift to me, which I have used throughout my adult years.
Byungil Kim
2nd Year Resident
Associate Professional Clinical Counselor #6594
University of Rochester, MS in Mental Health Counseling
Drew University, MA in Psychology and theology
Methodist Theological University, Mdiv in Psychology and Theology
Yonsei University, BSc in Physics