If one hears the word “balance” (two pans in equilibrium), it’s often hard to apply it to our life. Its main synonyms are words like measure, harmony, agreement, peacefulness, tranquility, order! One may believe that the world in which we live is not prone to such states; yet we must aim for life balance, especially as we are slowly but surely extending its duration…
Let us take a step back on what it means rather than avoiding the subject under the pretext that it demands too much care, everyday attention and truly boring routines in light of all we have to do on a daily basis. Too much hassle pops up, giving its two cents for the sake of a calibrated life, weighted, happy and liberated! Is there an easy way to achieve it?
The body, this every day vehicle, is led by three key drivers: lungs, heart and brain. The first provides us with oxygen and massages the second, which sends blood to the third, thus revitalizing it so that it dictates movements and ideas that make us homo sapiens, wise men! But what happened to the ancient wisdom that knew how to balance daily life, happily?
The body requires: sports, nutrition and sleep. To move at ease, we need to give this body a few warm-up exercises daily so that it is lubricated as of early dawn. Eating properly during the day requires a regular three-meal diet. As for sleep, it is the basic “life capital” and it can be regulated easily if one knows its scientific dimensions (more on that upon request).
The soul, or brain and intelligence, provides us with a better understanding of the various dimensions involved. If our medulla is the seat of animal instinct, we, like mammals, developed the limbic lobe, emotions and consciousness of our mobility, then the cortical lobe, reason and creativity; above all, our intuition seat, 6th sense “par excellence”.
For a happy soul, we must balance work, leisure and stress. This requires understanding the latter, namely regulating its factors and having proper controls. For one, digital surfing is a major cause of stress and requires more discipline in its use and dependence. Remember the early carefree years when humanity nicely wondered around in nature, a must!
It’s not the strongest, neither the most intelligent that shall survive but the most adaptable to change… Darwin, the champion of evolution, gave us this phrase to be repeated daily. Think Out Of the Box, It Helps! TOO-BIH… TO BE! How can we hope to survive in this world of perpetual motion if we do not give our daily actions that free and open dimension?
But comes the third dimension, that of the spirit, sometimes connoted with meditation, contemplation, prayer, all three allowing separately for that fundamental elevation of our earthly life and connecting us to the quintessence, the fifth element that Aristotle (tutor of Alexander the Great) added to the four elements of Empedocles (earth, water, fire, and air).
The latter four elements also remind us that balance comes, above all, from good nutrition close to the land, water as pure as possible (spring) regularly consumed, fire emanating from the sun (whether veiled or not, it is essential to be exposed regularly), and air as pure as possible, hence, by the way, the greatness of mountains, where you get all four.
Finally, our spirit is also this ability to love and forgive in full consciousness of the incredible being that we are… starting with oneself because all the ancient wisdoms stressed Γνῶθι σεαυτόν / Gnothi seautόn that the Delphi Oracle had above its entrance: “Know thyself and you will know the universe (the neighboring) and the Gods (what is above all).”