Laser is an acronym that stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. When a photon, which is a particle of light, hits an atom, the atom absorbs the energy of that photon and its electron becomes excited and goes into a higher energy state. As the electron drops back down to its original level, it sends back out a photon with the same amount of energy as the original that was absorbed. If a photon hits an electron that is already in an excited state, then the atom can't absorb the photon and instead the electron releases a photon with the identical energy and wavelength and direction as the original. To sum up, normally a photon hitting an atom would result in a new photon that was different from the original, but if the electron is already excited, then you have two identical photons traveling in sync with each other. What a laser does is essentially put up two mirrors on either side of a medium filled with all of these excited electrons so that the photons can bounce back and forth and continue to replicate a stream of photons that are all that same wavelength and energy and all traveling together in the same direction. Once enough of these photons are traveling together in sync, they spill through one of the mirrors that is partially transparent in a powerful and concentrated beam of light that can be intense enough to cut through steel. The reason that I bring all of this up is that if you imagine that each of us are like those atoms and the light of Christ hits us so that we are filled with the energy and light and pure love of Christ, then, like with those electrons, all of that energy has to get released at some point. But if we are all focused on ourselves and what is important to us, we might just send off these photons in random directions that may or may not have the energy to be absorbed by someone else. However, if we receive the light of Christ with gratitude and reverence and seek guidance from the Holy Ghost on how best to direct this gift so that it does the most good, then He will direct us to share our light with those who are already in the state to receive it in such a way that they will release their own photon that matches the energy and direction of ours. In this way, the light isn't scattered off in a random direction that does no one any good, but goes on to inspire and encourage others to align themselves with Christ's mission. Each act of kindness applied precisely where it will do the most good will generate more acts of kindness. And the twin mirrors of our covenants with the Lord and His covenants with us will send those waves of light and love back and forth, filling the lives of others and causing them to pay it forward in kind, until we have generated enough goodness to cut through all of the hatred and hopelessness and the steel chains that keep so many of us from reaching our full potential.
