Physics Is Not My Thing, But...

I avoided physics like the plague when I was in school, though I enjoy reading about it (if that makes any sense at all – can read about it, and think on it, but cannot do the math required to prove or disprove its theories). But a friend of mine, one of the engineer types, asked me a question regarding the Law Of Conservation Of Energy (i.e. energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can change forms) and how that may apply to "happiness" (or lack thereof) in the workplace.

So, if happiness is the “energy” that cannot be created or destroyed but can change forms, this is what happens to the “happiness” once we walk through the doors of the office:

We, the employees, are the objects in which the Potential Energy, or in this case Potential Happiness, is stored. So then, let’s imagine this energy, or happiness, is like a ping pong ball floating on an air thermal called bliss. The bliss thermal is affected by gravity, or (for our purposes) reality. Different levels of reality can either augment or diminish the lift of the bliss thermal and therefore directly affect the levels happiness contained in the object (i.e. the employee).

The office harbors more reality than any other space we occupy on a regular basis. Once we enter the working zone we are forced to conduct ourselves in a manner which we are instructed, lest we don’t get paid or have the money required to keep our bliss thermals up and our Potential Happiness high. Much like the rubber band that was pulled and released and forced through the air is used as an example for Kinetic Energy, the employee that goes through the motions to help a company achieve its goal is an example of Kinetic Happiness. But Kinetic Happiness in the workplace/office is a direct result of the force of gravity, or a strong dose of reality (if you will) pulling the bliss thermal very low to the ground, thereby causing the ping pong ball of happiness to hang very very low (quite near to depression in some cases, depending upon the individual and the strength of the bliss thermal before entering the center of reality).

If I were good at drawing graphs and such I would use one to help you understand everything I just said, but I'm not good at those things so I won't. Besides, it makes perfect theoretical sense to me and sounds quite logical and scientific (at least for an English Major).