Quote Originally Posted by PairO'Dice Lost View Post
Positive and negative energy have always been fundamental building blocks of the cosmos, on the same level as the four elements; the Material Plane and (un)life in general couldn't exist without them any more than they could exist without air or water.
In 5e, I see positive and negative energy as being more fundamental than the elements. They're the bits out of which the elements themselves (and that energy) is made of. I see them as the source and sink of the energy cycle, just like positive charges are the source of the electric field and negative charges act as sinks.