The perpetuum mobile, which is Latin for “perpetual motion machine,” is an ancient dream of science. Alchemists in the Middle Ages already dreamed of a tool that would never stop working. A water mill that would somehow sustain its own momentum, for example.
But even though they were neither named nor widely accepted at the time, the laws of thermodynamics still very much applied back then. Therefore, all supposed examples of such machines were debunked sooner or later. A thousand years later, the best we can do is still faking it: Videos of supposed devices abound, yet none of the clever contraptions are actually the real deal.
Fortunately…
The perpetuum mobile, which is Latin for “perpetual motion machine,” is an ancient dream of science. Alchemists in the Middle Ages already dreamed of a tool that would never stop working. A water mill that would somehow sustain its own momentum, for example.
But even though they were neither named nor widely accepted at the time, the laws of thermodynamics still very much applied back then. Therefore, all supposed examples of such machines were debunked sooner or later. A thousand years later, the best we can do is still faking it: Videos of supposed devices abound, yet none of the clever contraptions are actually the real deal.
Fortunately, what is a hard no in physics works differently in the elusive, subjective dynamics of the human mind. If you’ve ever come back after a long day of activity only to find yourself unable to sleep and yearning to do more, you’ve witnessed it in action: If there ever were anything close to a perpetuum mobile, humans might be our best bet.
My daily average step count for the year, for example, sat at only around 3,000 for the longest time. Then, I went to Japan for two weeks and walked 10,000-20,000 steps every day. You’d think I’d have arrived at my hotel dead-tired each evening. Alas, I often found myself with plenty of energy left. I went swimming at night twice, for example. On other days, I stayed up and did some work or watched a movie. What’s more, after a few days of walking so much, I found myself itching to go out every morning. I didn’t want to walk less but maintain the momentum. Not even for the sake of seeing sights. Just to keep moving.
Humans are creatures of habit, and habits can change on a dime. Constantly doing things is one such habit. You can get used to less downtime and more activity, like many of us do when traveling in a new environment. For me, I spent much less time deliberating what to do and just kept exploring. A few times, this became stressful, and I really did need some downtime. But if I maintained the same level of activity back home, I could probably do one-and-a-half times as much as I usually get done. And most of my fretting is usually just that: worrying about choices that come with little consequence.
It’s a fascinating lesson we can learn from travel, sports, or tending to our loved ones: Energy begets energy, and the more you do, the more spirited you’ll feel—at least up to a point. Don’t try to invent a perpetuum mobile. Become one, and you’ll find your time on this planet has been well-passed once it runs out.
Nik
Niklas Göke writes for dreamers, doers, and unbroken optimists. A self-taught writer with more than a decade of experience, Nik has published over 2,000 articles. His work has attracted tens of millions of readers and been featured in places like Business Insider, CNBC, Lifehacker, and many others. Nik has self-published 2 books thus far, most recently 2-Minute Pep Talks. Outside of his day job and daily blog, Nik loves reading, video games, and pizza, which he eats plenty a slice of in Munich, Germany, where he resides.