How do we find a balance in life?

Let’s talk about balance. What is balance? For a long time (ever since I was a young boy), the concept of balance has been at the back of my mind. To me, balance is finding that happy medium between pleasure and pain, or enjoyment and suffering.

For example, when we want to travel from one place to another, we can choose to walk, run or take a bus (I am using a very simple example that we all can relate to in our daily lives). When we walk, we will reach the destination in a matter of time. When we run, we will reach there more quickly. When we take a bus, we reach there in the shortest time. So what is the point I am trying to make here?

Simply put, there are advantages and disadvantages (or pros and cons) for each choice. For example, when I walk, I get to exercise a little and it is good for my health. Compared to running, I do not fall down easily, so the risk of injury is very low. I use up less energy when walking, so I also do not tire easily. In addition, compared to taking a bus, walking is a non-pollutive way of travelling. But on the flip side, walking is also the slowest among the three options. If I need to get to my destination quickly, then walking will be the least favourable of these options.

How about running? Running is also a great form of exercise, besides walking. Although running exerts more energy than walking, it boosts my cardiovascular health better and produces more feel-good endorphins. It is also an environmentally friendly mode of travelling. However, I will tire easily after running for some time. Besides, there is a higher risk of injury when running, such as falling down or experiencing leg cramps. So, the faster I run, the greater the risk of injury. But then again, I will also reach my destination more quickly.

Finally, taking a bus is perhaps the most comfortable mode of travelling compared to walking or running. It is also the fastest. However, a bus pollutes the air because of the smoke emitted from the exhaust pipe. (This means that we enjoy the benefit of travelling quickly at the expense of our health and the environment.) Besides, a bus may break down along the way (although the chances of this happening are usually very low for well-maintained buses). Also, travelling by bus does not allow the opportunity for exercising.

So, there we have it. Three different scenarios to illustrate how we can find a balance, in terms of travelling and considering the various factors involved. This principle applies to other aspects of life too, such as eating, working on a project, and so on.

Example of finding a balance in using energy resources

According to The Venus Project website about a resource-based economy:

“Many people believe that there is too much technology in the world today, and that technology is the major cause of our environmental pollution. This is not the case. It is the abuse and misuse of technology that should be our major concern. In a more humane civilization, instead of machines displacing people they would shorten the workday, increase the availability of goods and services, and lengthen vacation time. If we utilize new technology to raise the standard of living for all people, then the infusion of machine technology would no longer be a threat.”

I was thinking to myself: If technology has been abused and misused, why did it happen then? The answer I came up with is that companies chose to misuse technology, such as using fuel resources (oil, coal and natural gas) for short-term gains at the expense of people and the environment. After all, these fuel resources are easily available (before they run out in a few decades’ time), so the profit-oriented companies prefer to use them to produce electricity and manufacture products, since they are cheaper to use compared to solar energy or geothermal energy. The result is that they make profits in the short run, but stand to lose in the long run (in terms of their health and quality of their living environment due to pollutive by-products such as smoke, acid rain and oil spills). So people will need to find a balance in using energy resources wisely and sensibly, in order to benefit one another and the environment while minimising any side effects.

Conclusion

How do we find a balance in life? I think each of us will have to find our own answers, and consider how we can make choices in life that will benefit not only ourselves but also others and the environment, for the greatest good.

Everything we need for our journey of life lies within us ~♥~ debs
“Strand of Pearls: One Woman’s Journey to Light and Peace”

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