The Candle That Burns Twice As Bright

Needs more wax.

“The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long… and you have burned so very, very brightly Roy.”

Blade Runner was one of the most influential movies from my childhood. There is something romantic about this notion that is in the Zeitgeist.

“Life fast, die young, and leave a beautiful corpse.”

In traditional Chinese culture, 氣 or qi is:

“an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together.”

The literal translation is air, or breath. The Daoists in China developed 氣功 or qigong, a practice of cultivating breath. Wikipedia states that:

“Clinical research on qigong for its potential benefit in treating disease has shown no evidence that qigong has any therapeutic effect.”

This tells me two things - Wikipedia is actually not a fully reliable source of information, and clinical research isn’t useful if they don’t test properly.

Cultivating 氣 definitely has an effect on our “candles” when practiced properly. Thousands of years of Chinese tradition and practice is more reliable than some studies by Western clinicians. Wim Hof, the Ice Man, is one of the best teachers and practitioners of breath in the modern world.

However, breath is just a modality. A tool for shifting consciousness and health. Western scientific explorations of different modalities for life extension and anti-aging are advancing in incredible ways. What we believe changes what we experience. You are the Placebo. 50 is the new 30. Wax on.