The Strawman said:
Interesting. When you mentioned 'intent' my mind shot back to Amazing Grace:
The New Age types say that putting one's attention on these ideas [negative, evil etc] gives them energy.This is true only if one focuses in this way with the intention of participation. However, a comprehensive understanding of these forces is absolutely necessary in order to know how to give them less energy. Intent is everything. (loc 9218 on Kindle for iPhone)
Can we assume this dynamic works in the same way ... if one focuses in this way with the intention of participation ... in positive, loving, STO ideas?
I would think so. I totally agree that intent IS everything, but intent without action/participation also goes nowhere, just like knowledge protects only if applied. I may be wrong but it seems that Laura is basically talking about the rule of 3 in your quote - there's good, bad, and the specific situation that determines which is which. Intent is part of that specific situation. So the reverse of that quote is true as well - psychopaths study "normal people" but with the intent to manipulate and control. So they may actually spend time focusing on "good", but the intent, and the inevitable action that results, is to control. They don't end up "giving energy" to good/normal people by studying and thinking about how they operate, because if that was the case, the world wouldn't be in its current predicament if every time psychopaths studied good people they inadvertently empowered them.