What is Balance?

What is Balance?

For some, it means equally divided portions between two edges. Like a mathematical equation: X/2, where X denotes any number. Their understanding of balance is simple, just divided the matter equally between both opposites. As an example, in order to share a cupcake between two person, the ideal balanced method is to cut it into half. Each person has half of the cake.

For some, it means a magnitude which they are most comfortable with. These people do not usually think dividing things equally means balance. For them, they divide the things in a way they please, depending not only on the item itself, but also other situation factors. For example, two siblings sharing two apples. The elder one has the bigger apple, and the younger one has the smaller apple. The apple is not equally divided, but both parties think it is balance.

Have you noticed, that many things in your life, you try to achieve the balance? Some of us call it stable, some name it routine. Whatever you call it, you know that whatever you do, you try to find the right way to achieve a constant result. It's just like driving a car, where you find a comfortable posture of your legs on the pedals, your hands on the steering, and your back on the right position of the cushion. You try to find the balance when driving.

Balancing yourself starts as early as your first breath in this world. You breathe in hard, and you exhale softly. You try to find the rhythm of breathing. Did you notice your pattern of breathing now? In certain condition you changed the rhythm. Like when you're angry, you breathe faster. When you're exhausted, you breathe deeper. Not everyone follows the same rhythm, but that's how you want it to be.

Then the idea of balance spreading wider into all aspects of your life. You start to walk. The first time you walk, you will definitely fall down (until today, you still can fall down). You try to control your muscles, finding the right amount of power to exert on your ankle to hold your body up. And then you raise your bent knees, with both your hands spreading wide like an eagle to divide your weight. It was a beautiful scene of balance.

And then you enter school. You try to cope with all the homeworks and revisions. You were told that the frustration of not being able to meet deadlines and score in exams is called stress. You try to learn to cope with stress, like drinking, eating compulsively, and even DBP (Denial by procrastinating). All those things you did, was trying to balance your study so that you can grow steadily.

Yes, the keywords are balance - steady. The reason you try to reach a balance is because you want a steady result. It's as simple as that. But are you aware of a situation, where reaching a balance requires you to pull yourself out of a steady state and enter the volatile once again, especially in a changing environment?

Con't.