PERFECT BALANCE

(first written June 26, 2008,
revised November 23, 2012)

     I’ve always had a difficult time with the various balancing positions in yoga exercises, but the Universe itself certainly knows how to hold its balance. If balancing is defined as a state of steadiness where all forces are cancelled by equal opposing forces, then the Universe is a master of the art of balancing. There are countless forces at work in the cosmos, but they all stabilize each other perfectly. There’s sadness, but there’s a matching amount of happiness. There’s the sorrow of death everywhere we turn, but life is always there too, steadfast and spirited. There’s sickness, but wellbeing enduringly moves forward all around it. For every melancholy nightfall there’s an inspiring sunrise. What all this means is that the Universe is seamlessly balanced, flawlessly poised, unswervingly stable and steady. What this, in turn, means is that there is actually no discord, no tumult, no evil in the world. Granted, there seems to be plenty of evil, but if we pay close attention, we see that good always annuls it with its own powerful pull. All that really exists, in the end, are soundly balanced forces cancelling each other out, thereby sustaining the endless harmony of things. If the Universe were doing yoga exercises with me each morning, it could unquestionably teach me a few things about balancing.