Yes, this is a fair assessment, but I'd think of it more in economic terms, rather than energy, but the outcome is still the same. Thinking is the very first step of a capital investment that allows you to make more efficient and productive choices.

Thinking forever about something and not doing it is no different than assigning a price to something for only the amount of work you put into it (IE the labor theory of value). The effectiveness of your capital investment is only valid if it makes something more productive or efficient, NOT because you did it.

This is why intellectualism is inherently bad. If the only thing you are doing is thinking, but never producing anything from that thought, then you have done nothing of value.

Empathy can work the same way, where you can expend time, energy, and cognitive load on something that will never actually benefit you directly. I like listening to the Lotus Eaters, even to the point where I will pay them money, but I have zero impact on British governance. They must always be a secondary concern to my actual work and immediate environment.