Chapter Five: Balance the Equation
Balance
In anything, when there is imbalance, instability will naturally occur. Imbalance given enough time will naturally lead to instability if there is not rebalance beforehand. The natural conclusion of continuous instability is a fall or collapse. Falls are inevitable when instability is unresolved, especially beyond the tipping point. In other words: without balance a fall or collapse will become inevitable.
There are those who believe in the theory that things in life will naturally seek balance. It could also be said that balance will naturally find its own way. If this is true, when balance does occur it may be a balance that we may not appreciate. The balance that does occur may not always be a joy to us. We may not favor the balance that occurs. Or worse, it may not favor us. If this is true, then we have even more to fear.
Instability and imbalance go hand in hand in life and are sometimes necessary. Many forms of balance are necessary for the healthy development of this world. But our social, spiritual, moral, and economic future also depends on growth, not stagnation from within. And when balance is too prevalent there will be stagnation, which often leads to suffocation. An overly balanced culture is one in stagnation, and continuous stagnation within a system has a high likelihood of resulting in suffocation of that system. Some instability forces questions to be asked, thus possibly preventing any future crisis. Without some instability to show flaws within a system or pose suggestions to that system, a system may become susceptible to events, unexpected or not, when they do occur. There is a line between the need for balance for basic survivability, and the need for imbalance to initiate abilities necessary for adaptation.
Imbalance Leading to Extremism
When there is imbalance, some may be naturally drawn to the extremes. In the search for balance some may be drawn to an extreme in the hope of combating what they feel may be a different extreme. Or, the conditions of the environment could cause an individual to choose the side of an opposing extreme or viewpoint simply because of the apparent lack of balance, while leading others to an extreme of where they already stood. There are many situations of imbalance that can lead some to fall victim to the influence of the extremist.
When there is this general attitude of extremism caused by the instability of imbalance, middle ground and even common sense can become jeopardized. Those caught in the middle face many risks. Because of this pressure to take a stand, people who would normally find themselves within the middle ground can feel forced to align themselves with groups holding ideologies or beliefs that they do not agree with. Or those who firmly resolve to take a stand in the middle may potentially be viewed as having sympathies where they do not, simply because they do not follow certain views of a representative extremist. There may also be those on both sides who become forced or deceived into capitulation. Some who take a side may not consider the consequences, and this also applies to people who would be drawn to a more radical change. Others may become just simple innocent victims who are caught in the middle of the various extremes confronting one another. There could be countless possibilities. The situation of imbalance can thus have the ability to entice people toward any extreme. When someone is enticed to an extreme there is the possibility of contamination, discreditation, or souring of viewpoints. Both how they see their own viewpoints and how they see the viewpoints of others can be affected. Unfortunately, it does not matter who is enticed to extremism or if only the views of one are changed. The dynamics of how all view each other will be affected because of the mere association of one with the extremists. The interjection of the extremist can also even have the result of blurring the original discussions or disputes beyond reasonable recognition. This environment of extremism can affect both what we oppose and at the same time what we have allied ourselves with. What someone professes may be true, necessary, and correct, but it can become discredited or disavowed in the aftermath of the extremist.
Finding Balance
But in this it is important to remember that as with all cycles, balance will at some point eventually come. However, the balance may not be something that we expect or even can predict. So, logically, would it not make more sense for us to create an equation of balance that is the most favorable to us? Would it not be better to initiate our own balance before balance finds itself on its own? Of course, who said that humanity is logical?
In some cases, perhaps creating balance by the way of an interjection on behalf of what we may oppose may be necessary to restore balance, or at least help us find our own way of generating balance. Or it may even be necessary to help us redefine that in which we agree. An interjection of what we may oppose can have the possibility of reaffirming what we already believe, convincing us to alter or evolve our beliefs, or assisting us in the pursuit of something completely different. It can help us clarify or strengthen what we already believe in by exposing weaknesses of our point of view that we would never have been aware of without that interjection. Thus, it strengthens our own argument by building a stronger foundation against further opposition.
When it comes to change for the sake of creating balance, our reluctance can be a product of our own myopic views, and it can be dangerous. Our reluctance to adapt to new realities or our blind loyalties in support of our own myopic views may be dangerous. When we fail to see the periphery, we can become easily blindsided. We may also not recognize the need for balance in time to take appropriate action, before change occurs without our guidance. Our failure to see upcoming results may lead us to be blindsided by realities we could not foresee. Our reluctance to restore balance and take appropriate actions can also leave us vulnerable to the power and influence of opposing views. We can be blind to our vulnerabilities that can strengthen the opposing views, weaken ours, or any degree of both.
We must at least listen and be aware of any potential imbalance. We must be able to recognize the need for balance before others do so and take action that we may not agree with or appreciate. We may not have time to correct our perhaps glaring errors before they are noticed and used against us. Listening and creating awareness of other thoughts besides our own can mean the crucial difference between a timely intervention on our behalf and an action by those whom we drastically oppose. We must accept that we may have self-defeating actions that may surface in less than comfortable ways, so we can make the alterations ourselves rather than the opposition. We must police ourselves before someone or something else takes care of business. There may be the possibility that a version of balance that is drastically different than ours could manifest. If we do not at least listen to all sides, whether in opposition to our own or not, we may not be aware of our own failings that are self-defeating.
We must be attentive and careful; there may be occasions where we are unaware of what is necessary for balance, or do not even acknowledge its necessity. And when we do, unfortunately, it may not be in time to salvage luxuries or even necessities. Or it may not be in time to salvage what has been accomplished. Or worse, it may not be in time to salvage our very selves. We must accept that balance may be necessary even when we cannot foresee its necessity. Our own concerns are not what is important in the grand scheme of things—what is important is the fate of all.
We must also be wary of interjections to restore balance. We must be cautious of the deception of distorted or nonexistent data being presented, and of conclusions that may be based on faulty or misleading information. We must also be cautious when introducing adaptations. We must be cautious of those types of corrections that may cause more problems than there were before the correction was introduced. Sometimes attempts to help do not have the desired results. Yes, sometimes interjections are necessary and do restore balance, but they can also sometimes cause imbalance. In our myopic sight, we must be cautious of interjections for they can sometimes deepen or strengthen extremes or divisions unknowingly.
The road to balance can be long and seem daunting, arduous, or perhaps even unachievable in our lifetimes. While it is true that the road to balance may not be achieved within our expectational views or even within our lifetimes, we also cannot ignore these concerns as not being our responsibility to act upon. We cannot afford to do nothing; waiting only creates a greater void for others to span later.
In any case, a better world cannot grow in a society or environment bent on self-destruction, inequality, or ongoing instability. For that matter, in such an environment it may not even be able to survive. We must find common ground and prevent social disunity. It is important that balance and cohesion be maintained. Even though various views may seem diametrically opposed, there are always commonalities.
Inequality Breeds Instability
There exists, within any society in our world, the possibility of creating inequality or imbalance in some way. Perhaps the inequality is in the form of secret or outright exclusion, or in the form of promoting superior entitlement or disproportional benefit to a few. Even those who assume that they know what is in the best interest of all, and those who purposely attempt to create equality by suppressing those attempting to suppress others, can themselves ironically be guilty of suppression in some way. And in any human social environment, any form of inequality can breed instability. We also must not forget that when instability occurs, a restoring force or balance can naturally or will eventually follow. And this restoring force may not come in a form that is a pleasant experience for us. It may even potentially manifest itself as a total revolution. In the past, the various processes of societies balancing themselves have had the potential to lead to revolutions. These revolutions have taken on various forms of change, from passive to aggressive. This possibility of aggressive change is one reason we need more balance in our world. The possibility of aggressive adaptations brings forward the need for voluntary balancing. In this new world that we all live in, can we really afford to have aggressive change occur? Can we really risk aggressive change?
We cannot afford to forget that with our current abilities, imprinting onto the children the comprehension that others are equal to themselves is no longer a matter of humanity, it is a matter of human survival. With the new reality of one individual or group having the ability to effect cataclysmic change in a large population base, we cannot afford to have any beliefs of superiority when it comes to human life. In any case, we must be attentive to those in need and to the imbalances within our various societies. We must never forget that the most dangerous people are those who have nothing to lose and something to gain.
Ensuring that our Lifestyle and Quality of Life Survives into the Future
Yes, it is important to utilize the opportunities and conveniences of the present. But we must also be prudent in preparing for the future. We need to balance the needs of today with the foreseeable needs of tomorrow. We must take an active role in the preparation for the future. The opportunities and conveniences of today will be meaningless without the ability to have an acceptable tomorrow. We must prepare for the eventualities of future events and ensure that our lifestyle and quality of life will survive for us and future generations. That requires us to forestall future emergencies by taking actions today. Living in the present, to the extent that it jeopardizes the future by significantly reducing the availabilities of future essentials, enjoyments, possibilities, and opportunities, may jeopardize not only future generations, but possibly ourselves. We must take action in creating the balance between living for today versus living for tomorrow. The balancing act of meeting both the needs of today and the needs of tomorrow is delicate and needs our attention and considerable thought.
We must also rethink what we defend ourselves against. We must not only think of defending ourselves from others, but also think of defending our futures from the reality of the progression of the events we ourselves create and those that naturally occur in the world. We must defend ourselves from the actions resulting from our own myopic visions and aspirations. Instead of primarily focusing and spending time and money on issues affecting only one aspect of progress, we need to think about and address what the world and especially we as a species need. Compared to what we spend defending ourselves from others, we only spend a fractional amount of money, time, and effort on defense from the consequences of our own actions and those events that naturally occur in the world. We only devote a meaningless fraction to defend ourselves from ourselves and the world around us. We spend a meaningless fraction to truly defend or improve ourselves or create backups or alternatives to protect our society and way of life in case of contamination, reduction, elimination, or a myriad of other dangers. We have also yet to fully address adequate means of protecting the world, ourselves, and the future against contamination, depletion, and disasters that are caused directly or indirectly by us, as well as those that can or will naturally occur. We do not even have a system ready in case of depletion of current resources, which is already a problem. We also devote ourselves to responding to issues rather than preventing the chains of events that lead to these issues. Perhaps, when we truly and honestly begin to respond appropriately with what is needed for our current survival, we can begin to prepare for our various potential future paths. We must devote more time and money to fostering alternative and practical solutions for our issues, creating alternative resources to utilize in our lives, solving common problems that plague us all, and implementing backup plans for current and future use. Causes, rather than effects, should be our greatest concern.
We could easily develop and discover safe, natural, and unlimited resources to maintain and improve our quality of life and the conveniences thereof if we were really serious about it. If we hope to achieve more or even to survive our current stage, we must have adequate, safe, and reliable resources. We must have surroundings that are comfortable, safe, and secure, yet still challenging. These surroundings and resources include the ecological, social, emotional, spiritual, mental, and economic, just to name a few. A stable, healthy environment, whether physical, social, spiritual, educational, or otherwise, is essential for the survival of our species. I say, if we continue on many of our current paths, we may not have anything to protect in the future. I personally hope that we may have something to protect in the future. In any case, we must at least protect ourselves and our various environments in ways that are conducive for survival. A saying of mine that I tell myself is, those who prepare the future, prepare us all.
Growth
The stability of all environments is essential. (This means all environments, whether created by humans or not.) Stability in the present ensures a greater probability of stability in the future. This is why stability now, in general, is important to all of us and all of our futures. Of course, we must never forget that too much stability can lead to stagnation which can be counterproductive to our survival.
We must create stability and ensure that all of the gains and progress that we have made thus far in our various areas and societies survive well into the future. We must not just concentrate on the stability of the various physical environments, but also concentrate on the other environments that humanity inhabits, such as societal, spiritual, intellectual, economic, and many other environments not listed here. We must not just mine or harvest for the present but prepare and sow for a future beyond the lifespans of the current generations. We can no longer afford to search for or receive short-term gains at the expense of long-term stability. We cannot afford to continue to allow the rewards of gains in the present to outweigh our responsibilities to the liabilities of the future.
We need and must encourage more responsible growth and development of the kind that is sustainable in the long-term and prepares the future for us. Creating long-term sustainable growth in the present, beyond just short-term fixes, sets the foundations for sustainable growth in the long-term. Our current growth and development must responsibly take into account the future potential growth and development, future survival of the community, and what is in the best interest of all citizens and future generations. The best interest of the future is one of the reasons investments and laying down the foundations for the future is so important. We need to take responsibility for the future. We must respect the integrity of the community and be responsible to that community in ways that benefit all. We must remember that development, growth, and change are all unavoidable. We must honestly devote more of our efforts to focusing, directing, and shaping our future and all of our growth and development toward a stable outcome.
Migration
Migration could be seen as a law of nature. However, this does not negate the fact that migration can sometimes create imbalance. And attempting to stop migration can sometimes be fruitless or dangerous. So, if we honestly believe that a certain migration is dangerous, detrimental, a liability, or malicious, we must logically examine the situation, determine the factors causing the migration, and prevent the reasons and motivations behind that migration. One of the reasons migrations have always been undertaken, whether human or otherwise, is to seek better or more favorable conditions. But when examining human global migration patterns, we must also consider more complex factors and possibilities. However, still considering all of the various circumstances that are currently altering the societies of the world, I sometimes wonder if this time it is fundamentally different. If we were insects I might say that, on a global scale, we were beginning to “swarm.” Or, at minimum, possibly at the point of a splitting of society on a global scale. The problem is, we have nowhere to physically go to except within our own existing confines of the same geographical location (our planet Earth).
No matter the reasons, migration—the search for better conditions—is a primal instinct for survival. Those who are migrating may see it as a matter of survival. Yet, those migrating must not forget those people who already inhabit the area wherein they are migrating to. The current inhabitants may fear or at the least resent those migrating into their area, for the same reasons that those are migrating. The inhabitants may believe that their way of life or culture may be severely affected, and they may be correct. For these and many other reasons, those migrating must not forget why they are migrating. So, they must not repeat history by recreating the current situation or circumstance that has brought them to migration. They must remember and not bring with them or recreate the negative conditions, reasons, motivations, circumstances, chain of events, problems, or issues that have brought them to migration. It is paramount that they not even present the appearance of those same, or they may draw resentment from the native population. They must also respect the traditions, values, and way of life of the native populations.
There may be positive and negative repercussions from migration. But it is important to remember that sometimes there is nothing inherently wrong with migration in itself. Migration is a thing which helps us evolve. Sometimes growth and migration are essential for the survival of or benefit to one or all parties. Other times it results in loss or brings negative results to the area into which migration occurs. The conditions that are being escaped from by those migrating or even the results of the migration on the area being left behind may also be negative. There may be less “good people” left in the area that is being abandoned. Perhaps it is best to encourage those good people to stay with a carrot rather than try to prevent them from migrating with a stick. They are leaving those areas because of a stick, and may see the risks of leaving as just a different stick. But an honest carrot for them to stay and not to migrate can be something new to them. If we wish to mitigate the toll that migration may have, it may be best to help preserve or create positive reasons why good people live where they do.
Population
The population of the world is growing more rapidly today than in the past. We are placing more people on our planet and at the same time attempting to increase the lifestyles of all populations while not expanding many of our current finite resources. The constant growth taken together with our resource limitations create a major issue that our planet and humanity face. Many, but not all, of our current problems and conflicts in the world are about resources and the increased need for them. Resource-related issues can evolve into disputes. Such issues can evolve because of a variety of reasons; just a few of these are having limited resources, not enough sustainable or stable resources, belief in the superiority of some to deserve access to those resources, not utilizing our technology to supply additional resources that are needed, and various combinations thereof, in addition to other issues not listed here.
As with all species, overcrowding of humans causes a variety of issues. Overcrowding creates not just mental stress, but also physical stress, and consequences of both of these stresses. Most species, when crowded into limited space in vast numbers, may suffer many casualties. They die from the various mental and physical results of overcrowding. As with most species, overcrowding situations like this for humans can also cause general stress and panic. Yes, it may sound absurd that we can be likened to other species in relation to overcrowding. We are a much more advanced, unique, and sophisticated species, with more difficult-to-meet and advanced needs and desires. Therefore, we have even more complex failings. Everyone needs their own various form of personal space, basic rights, and resources for meeting the necessities of life, thus achieving mental stability. I do not know about you, but my personality can change when I am deprived of the basics of life and face overcrowding with more people, fewer resources, and increased contamination.
Theoretically I believe, under the right circumstances, we as a species have the potential to grow our population without any diminishment. However, this prospect is currently constrained by our current stage of technology and our finite resources. Even increasing the lifestyle of our current population may be difficult with our currently finite resources. Infinite reproduction cannot be sustained within the finite. If we could develop our technologies and sociological attitudes to their full positive potentials, I believe perhaps we may yet be able to adequately sustain our current numbers, maybe even more, and all with a higher quality of life. But without alterations of our current attitudes and actions, I believe we are on a path to being doomed. Remember that with humanity, as with any species, a lack of resources and necessities can potentially lead to social instability. Exponential population growth without alterations or advancements to accommodate it will eventually lead to population crashes.
Education for Balance in the Future
If it truly is the responsibility of the individual to better themselves, or at the minimum provide for themselves, then it only stands to reason that they should be encouraged by society to do so, or at least not be hampered by that society. It is a responsibility of the society, not to do for those who can do for themselves, but to provide the individual with proper access to the necessary tools or skills to do so. Providing educational opportunities or access to training today can help ensure less dependency on a society tomorrow. And providing those opportunities to all in the present is a fundamental cornerstone of ensuring better equality and balance in the future.
As I have stated before, I do not believe in doing for those who can do for themselves. However, I believe it is very important to give individuals the proper tools for doing for themselves and not hinder them if they are not hindering others. Providing educational opportunities and other opportunities for advancement, especially to those who truly need them, is an area in which we have made great strides from generations past. Yet this is still an area in which we do not invest equal to its reward or potential. This is an area that we have significantly fallen short in and there are still ramifications for the generations to come. Providing the necessary education or training to those who would not normally or necessarily have such access helps reduce instability and inequality in the future. To reduce future dependency on ourselves or others and help establish balance in the future, it is a requirement that we ensure educational or training opportunities for those who would not normally have access to them. For security and balance in the future, ensuring greater access to education or skills training for all must take more of a priority in our lives.
Wealth: Perception and Need
There are many types of wealth; I am no expert, but this very small section is devoted to monetary wealth.
•I believe the accumulation of monetary wealth is simply a means to an end. I believe the search for monetary wealth is not a search for monetary wealth in itself—it is a search for material possessions, power, influence, security, or any number of other objectives that it can bring. We seek monetary wealth in order to create or acquire these.
•We must not forget that monetary wealth itself is not necessarily evil or good, but the process of how it is acquired or used can be. It can be obtained through virtuous or unvirtuous methods. We can sometimes be blind to how wealth was accumulated if done so through unvirtuous methods as opposed to the virtuous methods of accumulating wealth.
•People can often associate the possession of wealth, consciously or unconsciously, with who should be followed or listened to. I believe this association has contributed to the current negative aspects of the societies of our world. We (as a world culture) still base so many of our perceptions about communities or individuals on how much monetary wealth they have accumulated. For your future and that of your offspring, is it not better to consider the heart and mind of someone rather than their pocketbook?
•We have forgotten the danger of those with economic or monetary influence—their less than reputable reputations have drastically more influence over laws, priorities, beliefs, and/or what should be the responsibility of communities and individuals. We can sometimes forget that when economic or monetary influence has an uneven sway, instability will naturally occur. And this instability is an even more likely result in our current interconnected world of mass communication.
o We must also acknowledge that extreme wealth, in many ways, may have even less constraints now than were present in the past. Some examples include, but are not limited to, the influence of wealth geographically, the ability to influence to a more politically diverse extent with wider ranging results, the ability to affect any society almost anywhere and anytime, and even the ability to perform a quick and easy transfer of wealth with the help of the computer age rather than physically moving it. (In our modern and technological age, even with current safeguards, the ability to camouflage or transfer substantial amounts of wealth has far less constraints than it did in generations past.)
o Arguably, we could also say that a disruptively large amount of wealth has more possibilities than in generations past. The world is changing on a global scale, and never before has there been such ability for quick and diverse change to occur as a result of that wealth.
o Arguably, in our world of today, extreme wealth has the potential to have more of a profound influence on the continuation of our human existence than it had in the past.
The Imbalance of the Pyramid of Wealth for the Individual Globally
In more than one area, the balance between encouraging improvement versus encouraging oppression must be carefully monitored. However, this discussion primarily focuses on this balance as it pertains to wealth. When considering this, some may argue that the disparity between the extremely wealthy and the extremely poor in our world is growing. There is also the case to be made that what we consider to be the quality of life for middle-income levels and even the numbers of the populace that make up the middle-income levels of the industrialized areas of the world are shrinking. Of course, some may even argue that the average quality of life for most all is diminishing in the industrialized areas of the world. There are also others who say that the numbers of extremely poor in the unindustrialized areas of the world are slightly shrinking and there is a growing middle class as these areas become industrialized. I ask, cannot all of these be true? The following assumptions are from my own biased perceptions:
•The numbers of poor in the already industrialized areas of the world, according to how the poor are determined in each area, are significantly growing. Meanwhile the numbers of poor in some of the unindustrialized areas of the world are slightly shrinking by their standard of determination.
•The middle class in the industrialized areas of the world is shrinking significantly by their standard of determination. The middle class in the unindustrialized areas of the world is slightly growing by their standard of determination.
•The wealth of the wealthy and especially that of the extremely wealthy in both the industrialized and unindustrialized areas of the world are growing significantly in proportion to that of all other classes.
Seeing this, so