Balance is a Myth
February 26, 2010
An often-heard phrase is “you’ve got to find balance in life.” We spend a lot of time thinking this is what we need and berating ourselves for not finding it or we blame others for throwing us off balance.
Maybe it’s semantics, but I contend that balance is something we should not be striving for when it comes to work and life. It’s a myth.
If balance was how everything worked, nothing would ever change. The planet we live on and the life on it would never have come into existence.
It’s when we get off balance that exciting things happen.
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A young zen monk traveled hundreds of kilometers by foot to find an old zen master he had heard about. He had a question burning inside, he hoped that given his reputation he could help…
After weeks of walking and begging for his food, he finally meet the master…At last! His tired body was propelled by enthusiasm…So he rushes to him and asked:
- Master, master…please tell me where is my treasure?
- The master replied…Well, your question is your treasure!
Imagine after walking for weeks, being told that the exact reason why he got walking, his yearning, is his true nature. The poor monk must of been stunned…
This little off balance feeling we have, this icky feeling of vague fear that bugs us for no apparent reasons some times is very much part of us. Its what gets us moving, keeps us creating. If we were perfectly contempt in life we would have realized nothing. Mozart would not have written a note, Hemingway not written a line, Columbus would never have set sailed…They were all looking for their treasure, for balance in their lives….thank God they never found it…
Great reminder this morning John…
Serge: What a wonderful story. I like that the “question is the treasure.”
I guess we need to learn to love the icky feeling a little more and treat it as our friend.