BALANCE AND THE SIMPLE LIFE

Balluminaria
Originally uploaded by waxinggibbous.

Nature must indeed abhor a vacuum. Offer nature even the tiniest opportunity for life to flourish and flourish it will. The balance in this is obvious upon observation.

Peak at a slight crack in a roadside boulder and observe. Tiny dust particles recently settled transform from atmospheric flotsam to a nourishing soil for a litter of lichen. How perfect this life force.

Life is simple. As we too are life therefore we are simple. We nevertheless try so hard to complicate our lives: we confuse ourselves on a daily basis. I am as capable of this mistake as are any of us.

Yet balance and purpose unfold to show a path to perfection.

Example time – let’s take one of my favorite topics, motorcycling. If we ride for joy and toward a goal we wish to achieve we are riding in balance with nature. We are pursuing a simple life.

If, however, we ride out of pain we are not riding in balance. If we run away from something we wish to avoid, we are making a mistake. We are failing further in the healthy pursuit of a happy and simple life. In a simple, balanced life, we must first deal with the cause of our pain, take action to fix it, and then ride.

Like most motorcycle enthusiasts, I’ve ridden both such rides. I’ve learned more of life these past few years. I’ve learned that the joy of riding toward my goals far surpasses the shallowness of riding away from problems.

The problems, left unresolved, will be there to greet us when we return. And that is the antithesis of a simple life.