Balance- Yin and Yang

 

 

Most of us would agree that to be fully human is perhaps our most worthy pursuit. But, what is the ideal way to live in this world? 

Is living a life in safety, under strict discipline and order, much better then a life of total undisciplined freedom, which may veer us down a path of chaos and disorder?  Most of us will agree that order seems better then dealing with the challenges that take us out of our comfort zone, in a personal world, that is chaotic. But, too much order in our life can cause disease in strange ways that are not as obvious as the disease caused by chaos and disorder. Obsessive compulsions with its tendency toward the activating of excessive order can cause us to be stressed just as much as  the dysfunction caused by too much passive disorder. To live on the edge, the precipice, between order and chaos is a delicate balance; its a balance between the extremes of an obsessive, ordered carefulness with that of a passive disordered carelessness. To push the limits, our boundaries , is to grow physically, mentally and spiritually. Being healthy is living  balanced, and avoiding extremes as much as possible. 

 

 

The need for excessive order can make us fearful...because we need control. This can lead to obsessive compulsions and the need to manipulate every detail of our lives. There seems to be less freedom in a controlled state. 

Living out of balance with nature, in too much  disorder, tends to stress the body and mind. Living in this dis-eased state, under constant dysfunctional stress, is perhaps the greatest cause of our diseases. 

The drive toward one polarity whether its order or disorder, overrighteous or overwicked, wise or foolish, dominate or passive, when taken to extreme, causes dysfunction, duality and an unnatural way of living.

 

 

To be free, is to take risks with one foot in the unknown and the other on solid ground. 

 

 my granddaughter when she was making her first steps

Wasp Nests

I had three separate wasp nests under the siding and soffits of our house. There was two types , the common yellow jacket and the mud dabber. They would build a huge nest before summer was finished . Something needed to be done.  I profess to love 'Life' and I do believe that in its very essence, all life is 'one'. But what is 'one', ( pun intended) to do when you know you have an infestation being built into your house exterior. I know a person who does not believe in killing mice ( he's a Buddhist wantabe) and his house is infested with these creatures. He has mouse dropping all through out his house and it doesn't seem to bother him. I don't share his love for mice.

Where is the balance??? I wish I could flick a switch and get rid of the wasps without killing one of them. But, the option to do nothing, and let the problem grow, from past experience, I concluded, was not the best choice. The best I could do is destroy the nest early, before they multiply, and by sealing off all holes in my house, I will prevent them from coming back.

To kill or not kill them was the choice.  I bought a can of hornet and wasp spray and got rid of them. I feel somewhat bad about it but relieved that I may have alleviated a greater hazard to human life.  It was the lesser of two evils in my thinking. Life decisions are not always black and white . There are gray areas of our human existence here on this planet, and getting rid of some creatures that produce a threat to our families is one of them.

Was it the right thing to do, destroying the wasp nests....maybe or maybe not?

There are a lot of issues in life that I say  'I don't know' about these days . I believe 'I don't know' is the best position to take on most of life's tough questions. To say 'I know'  closes us off from further truth. It is also somewhat arrogant.  So, if you ask me,  was it right to kill these wasps?...........my answer is .........I don't know for sure.


   

Solitude and social interaction...the balance.

 

Jim Carrey woke up to reality and he is influencing many people all over the world .Some thought he was losing his mind, when he moved past the thinking mind, toward his deeper sense of self, in reality he just woke up to understand the truth about life.

I was at a social gathering last night with about 30 people . Its great to see old friends again and learn about what has been happening in their lives. I talked to about half of these people, mostly the men, with good conversation . The problem is about 4:00 am, I woke thinking about these conversations and began rehashing them in my mind. I have learned to watch thoughts in meditation and get them under control. For a couple of hours I kept thinking about all that was said in these earlier conversations . Finally I drifted off to sleep again. I woke a few hours later not feeling very well rested, and very groggy.

I am beginning to believe that Solitude is very addictive as Jim Carrey mentions in the above quote. When you spend most of your time in the quiet, alone you do get addicted to the peace and calm. People all let off a field of energy. I could visualize each individual conversation I had earlier, as being like a small vortex of energy. Most of the talking was very positive but it is still energy in thought form. 

I read somewhere that monks who live in remote areas in total solitude have a problem processing all the extra info and energy when they occasionally venture into the busyness of a city. One monk said it takes him a week of meditation to get back to a settled state in his inner being, after being in the city.  

So, I understand why Carrey states that being around people drains your energy and I do understand the dangers of solitude.  But, what is a person to do ...solitude is a gateway into inner stillness. Inner stillness is the path to heaven on earth. The secret I believe, is balance. We need human contact in order to avoid insanity, and to experience and share love and compassion for others, but too much contact will also have its negative effects.  So my conclusion on this matter is we probably need to keep a balance of solitude and human interaction. Too much or too little of either is not healthy.