It's not circular, as much as a simple phrase with lots of consequences.

* There's the energy we expend for others beyond our capacity.
* There's the mental energy we expend fearing the consequences of our actions and the actions of our superiors.
* There's the energy we expend physically exhausting ourselves, not getting sleep, engaging in self-destructive habits, allowing our bodies to carry the weight of our emotional struggle.
* Finally, our societies work hard to keep us from experiencing our own sense of energetic warmth generated by our bodies, to shame sensuality.

Of all of these, the last one is the least likely to be acknowledged as a factor. Simple human warmth comes from the love of our own bodies. The body always wants to give to us, to the best of its abilities. When we can tap into the wonder of this sweet creature that houses our minds, that love brims over to others.

But changing our trajectory on any of these requires facing our fear of the unknown. It requires changing our relationships with the people around us -- family, lovers, coworkers -- and changing our sense of who we are.

It's simple. Not easy.