Striking A Balance

“My journey has always been the balance between chaos and order.” – Philippe Petit, French highwire artist.

We live in an age of extremes. Movies are considered to be failures if they aren’t bigger blockbusters than the last. The wealthy have gone from millionaires to billionaires. On the opposite extreme, homelessness has exploded. The weather has become more extreme due to climate change. 

This imbalance is also found in emotions. Happiness and a positive attitude have gone from being one aspect of life to being the sole goal.

Studies support that having a balance in attitude and emotions, sometimes “negative” while other times “positive,” based on the situation, is healthier than constantly striving for the positive. 

 

In the book The Upside of Your Dark Side, Todd Kashdan, Ph.D., and Robert Biswas-Diener, Dr. of Philosophy, provide studies that have shown that "negative" emotions are more effective in certain situations while "positives" are beneficial in others. Constantly emphasizing one over the other isn't helpful. Finding a balance is the key.

Balance rests at the heart of reality. The balancing point where Chaos and Order meet is the birthplace of the Demiurge, the creative source of Creation.

Strive for balance.