Balanced odds
Everything in life is predicated on the precept of balance.
Given that there are no guarantees in life – it follows that every occurrence in life is the outcome of a statistical probability. The equation we call life is really the sum of the probability that all events will happen and the probability that all events will not happen. In other words, the odds.
Given that we can only influence, not control anything other than ourselves – it is therefore our responsibility to manage the odds against ourselves. Observe impartially, make decisions based on evaluated criteria. When emotions are allowed into the equation, an undetermined, uncontrollable variable is then introduced. It therefore follows that the resulting equation cannot be predicted as well as it could have without the variable.
All we can do is manage the odds. An important realization is that since there is no black and white in the world – we must get identify which area in the gray spectrum we are most comfortable with and strive to remain there. Strictly speaking, 98% white and 2% black is still gray, and vice versa.
We cannot always beat the odds. But we can play the game such that we beat the odds more often than the odds beat us.
Biting Your Tongue
..can save many things: relationships, money, feelings, lives.
Communication plays a large part of our lives, whether we like it or not.
As we progress in life, we are directly or indirectly required to improve on our communication skills.
In the beginning, you are taught to express yourself.
Speak more. Do more. Show more.
But as you go further in life and learn more, you learn that sometimes, the opposite is true.
Speak less. Do less. Show less.
We are all students in the great classroom of life. It’s just that most of the time, it’s not always obvious who the teacher or what the lesson is. Need to learn to pay more attention..
Motion
The main difference between the living and non-living is motion.
Whether it be visible, physical motion, or invisible, mental motion.
If we acknowledge this to be true, it would be fair to say that the more motion we experience, the more of life we live.
Conversely, it would also be fair to say that our minds’ and bodies’ natural instinct to protect itself from losing it’s life will in effect, try to prevent excessive motion.
It’s all a matter of which side of life we are more inclined to – the live side, or the (ironically) dead side of life.
Here’s an example of the concept above taking place:
Wearing my skis, I awkwardly step off the ski lift. I fall down. I think whether I really want to do this. I pick myself up with difficulty, and waddle my way to the edge of the hill. My heart pounds. I mentally prepare myself for the speed I know I will be experiencing. I think again about whether I am really doing this. I decide to go down the hill, and not regret if I break both legs. Having said that, I tell myself to stabilize myself, not to panic, and lean/turn with enough force at the bottom of the hill so I stop. In other words, all the things I need to do to ski safely. I take the first step, and I begin sliding slowly. I pick up speed quickly, and soon everything is a blur. The wind blowing against me reminds me of the sound a plane makes when it is taking off. My mind, confused and afraid that I might actually take off, instinctively tells my body to fall over (which will stop the excessive motion).
There are 2 possibilities at this juncture.
1. I fall over and slide to a stop. Though my mind calms down almost immediately, another thought comes in just as fast – frustration and disappointment, inadequacy.
2. I deliberately focus on the snow, stabilizing myself, and telling myself that I won’t take off. (This will change when I take on jumps and cliffs..) I think about my two feet in firm contact with the ground, and as I reach the bottom of the hill, I lean hard to my left and put force on my left foot to turn against the snow, coming to an effective stop. The rush of having been through “excessive motion” is evident; the adrenaline, the heightened heart rate, the overall euphoric feeling that envelopes the body and mind after having achieved something.
We can further combine the theory of excessive motion with the theory of life balance. We could then say that in order to live a balanced life, the amount of static must equal the amount of dynamic. In other words, we must experience (physical and/or mental) motion in a measure so that it equals our lack of (physical and/or) motion, and vice versa. Doing otherwise will result in an unbalanced body, mind, and therefore, life.
Change is motion. To deny change is to deny motion, and therefore life.
Embrace change; embrace life.
The Ups and Downs
Trying to adhere to the concept of keeping everything balanced is hard. Is it true that we need to balance everything and that life can only be truly lived with a balance? One would be inclined to think so.
But how can it be?
If everything were to be balanced, there would have to be as much bad as there is good. If there is an absence of either, it would be unbalanced. So if we spend our lives staying on the “good” side ie. avoiding “bad” stuff, doesn’t that mean that we’ve lost our balance?
Staying loyal means we lose out on being disloyal. Being disloyal means we lose out on being loyal. Being unhappy means we miss out on being happy. Being happy means we miss out on being unhappy. But if we don’t experience the “bad”, what then are we going to use to compare to find out the “good”?
How do sustain our good side without feeding the bad? How do we maintain the balance?
