Chronicles of Contemplation | Episode 1: What If Balance Is a Myth?

SPEAKER_00: Welcome everyone to the Chronicles of Contemplation, a quiet place to pause, reflect and explore life's deeper questions. These essays are not intended to prove anything. They're intended to explore, create thought-provoking experiments, and journey down rabbit holes. They're not intended to persuade or establish some new doctrine regarding the topics that we discuss. The purpose is actually not to even arrive at an answer, but just to examine the assumptions hidden beneath perhaps the answers we already possess. I am Dr. Jenny, and these are the Chronicles of Contemplation. Chronicles of Contemplation Episode The Illusion of Balance. A conversation in the cosmic coffee shop, booth number seven, existed somewhere between a thought and a star. The coffee's always hot, the music's always soft, and the windows somehow overlook every sunrise and sunset at the same time. In the far corner of the cosmic coffee shop sits booth number seven. Rabbit hole girl arrived carrying a steaming mug and several thoughts swirling around in her mind. The scientist was already there, notebook open, glasses perched on the end of his nose. Good morning, scientist. Well good morning, rabbit hole girl. I can tell by your expression that the universe has delivered yet another rabbit hole. She slid into the booth quite comfortably. Oh, it absolutely has. Excellent then. Shall we proceed? Rabbit hole grill took a sip of coffee. I've been contemplating the word balance. The scientist immediately picked up his pencil. A dangerous word in fact. Exactly. In spiritual circles, everyone says things like find balance, find neutrality, find your center. And you suspect there is more to the story, the scientist said. I think there may be an entire misunderstanding. Rabbit hole girl says as she tilts her head. The scientist smiled. Then let us invite our first guest. He pointed toward the empty seat. Mr Webster. Booth number seven, please. A dictionary appeared on the table. Rabbit hole girl laughed. Excellent, scientist. What does mister Webster say? The scientist opened the dictionary. Balance an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain steady or upright, and a condition which different elements are equal or in the correct proportion. Rabbit hole girl blinked. There it is. What? The trap. The scientist adjusted his glasses. Explain The words equal, even and steady, Rabbit Hole Girl exclaimed. She looked around the coffee shop. Nothing in life seems to operate that way. The scientist leaned back. I would agree. Rabbit Hole Girl continued. If balance means equal, then nature seems terribly unbalanced. She held one finger up. The human body. Go on, says the scientist. Our hormones aren't equal. Our neurotransmitters aren't equal. Our blood sugar fluctuates, our energy changes throughout the day. Correct, said the scientist. If I eat lunch, I need more energy for digestion. If I exercise, I need more energy for movement. If I'm sick, I need more rest. My body isn't trying to maintain perfect equality every moment. The scientist took a moment and wrote a few notes in his notebook. Life requires adjustment. Rabbit hole girl pointed at the page. Exactly, she continued. If I insisted on being perfectly balanced all the time, I may unconsciously resist the extra energy I need to digest a meal or walk through a parking lot. Interesting, said the scientist. Maybe I'd feel sleepy after eating because I was expecting everything to remain energetically equal instead of allowing the body to temporarily shift resources. The scientist nodded. Rabbit hole girl grinned. Now we're getting somewhere. She took another sip of coffee. And then I started looking at movement. The scientist smiled because he knew there was always more to the story when it comes to Rabbit Hole Girl. The body is one of my favorite laboratories. Walking itself is in fact imbalance. The scientist looked up from his notebook. Explain your experiment, ma'am. When we walk, we lean. Oh, this is true. We literally throw ourselves slightly out of balance and then catch ourselves with our next step. The scientist begins sketching stick figures. So walking is a controlled fall. Exactly, Rabbit Hole Girl said very animated. If we maintain perfect balance all the time, we'd never move. We'd become statues. The scientist looked at his notes. So movement requires imbalance, he questioned. Yes. She leaned over the table. Bending over to pick something up is imbalance. Reaching for coffee mug is imbalance. Turning around is imbalance. The scientist smirked. Even standing still isn't still. Rabbit Hole girl blinked and took a sip of her coffee. What do you mean? Scientist continued. The muscles are making thousands of tiny adjustments every day to keep you upright. She sat back in her booth. So balance isn't a destination. Nope. What is it then? she inquired. The scientist thought for a moment. A process A process of what? He smiled. Falling and recovering. Rabbit Hole Girl sat quietly contemplating Well. That's beautiful, the scientist wrote on the chalkboard hanging beside the booth. The body is not balanced because it never leaves center. It is balanced because it knows how to return. Rabbit Hole Girl stared at the words. Hmm. A few moments passed, then she said, I think the financial world does the same thing. The scientist's pencil resumed moving. Proceed. If someone says I want financial balance, what exactly are they asking for? The scientist stopped, raised an eyebrow. Um a fair question indeed. Because if my income equals my expenses exactly, I have no cushion. I have no surplus. Rabbit hole girl explained. Correct. She said I have no breathing room. Also correct, said the scientist. She took another sip of coffee. So maybe what I really want isn't balance at all. What do you want? asked the scientist. I think what I want is flow in and to exceed the flow out when it comes to finances. Scientist smiled. A gentle surplus. Exactly. She looked out the window. Businesses reinvest profits, savings accounts grow. Every penny added the jar builds upon itself. Scientist nodded. Nature appears to enjoy reserves as well. That's exactly what I thought, she said. He leaned forward. The body stores energy. Yes. The liver stores glycogen, yes. We store fat. Yes. The immune system stores memory. Yes, she exclaimed. The scientist smiled. Nature likes buffers. Rabbit hole girl laughed. Buffers That's the perfect word. The scientist wrote resilience often requires reserves. She pointed to the chalkboard. So if I unconsciously believe that everything must remain perfectly balanced, maybe I don't give myself permission to receive more than I need. The scientist slowly nodded. And perhaps a bundus begins to feel wrong because it disturbs the equilibrium. Exactly, she said. A server brought fresh coffee for the table. They both thanked her kindly. Then Rabbit Hole Grill became thoughtful. Scientist said even chemistry doesn't seem to believe in balance. Oh, she said. Atoms? The scientist smiled. One of my favorite subjects. You really see equal amounts of everything. Correct, she said. Hydrogen has one proton and one electron. Yes, she said. Water is two hydrogens and one oxygen. Correct. Salt is sodium and chlorine. Indeed, she smiled. Nature doesn't seem obsessed with equality. Scientists' eyes sparkled. I think nature is more interested in proportion. Rabbitole girl blinked. Proportion? Yes, he wrote on the chalkboard. The universe runs on relationships and ratios, not necessarily equal amounts. She laughed. That's it, the scientist continued. The atmosphere isn't equal parts of everything, or we'd all stop breathing. Precisely, she said. The body doesn't need equal amounts of every mineral. Also true. She took another sip of her coffee. So balance might not mean equal. Perhaps it means appropriate. Appropriate, she questioned. Yeah. The right amount of each thing for the purpose at hand. Rabbit hole girl sat back and contemplated. Scientist That's absolutely brilliant. Scientist smiled and polished his fingers bent on his collar of his shirt. Why, thank you. A comfortable silence settled over booth number seven. Then Rabbit Hole Girl's eyes widened. Social media. Scientist sighed and shook his head from left or right. I knew we'd get there eventually. If I believed everything must stay balanced, then I might unconsciously expect every post to get the same number of views. An impossible expectation, scientist said. Exactly. One video gets fifty views, one gets 500, one goes viral. Scientist nodded. Creative systems are wonderfully uneven, and if I insist on balance, maybe I don't give myself permission to have the breakthrough. Rabbit Holcraw implied. Scientist wrote on the chalkboard, growth often arrives as a disruption of equilibrium. She smiled. A viral video is in balance. No, scientist said. A windfall isn't balance. No, he says again. A breakthrough isn't balance. Nope. A long silence followed. Finally, Rabba Hoker looked at the scientist. I think I understand now. Go on, he said. I don't think the spiritual teachings were necessarily wrong. The scientist tilted his head. I suspect they were pointing towards something else. Like what? he asked. Maybe they meant emotional steadiness. The ability to return to center, the ability to experience life without becoming trapped on one side of the pendulum or the other. The scientist smiled. A very different thing than demanding equal amounts of everything. She nodded. Maybe the problem came when we turned balance into a rigid rule. The scientist raised his mug and took a sip. Now this is an excellent observation, he said. Rabbit Hogrill smiled. So perhaps balance isn't equality at all. No, perhaps balance isn't stillness. No again. Perhaps balance isn't having exactly enough, Rabbit Hole Girl said. Also no, the scientist replied. She looked out the window at the stars. Then what is balance? The scientist took a slow sip of coffee. Then he said Perhaps balance is adaptability. She smiled. Like a sailboat. He raised an eyebrow out of curiosity. A sailboat? It leans with the wind, it shifts, it adjusts, it stores provisions, it never perfectly level, and yet it remains seaworthy. The scientist rubbed his chin and considered this. I rather like that. Rabbit Ho Girl smiled. I think life might be the same. Scientist, have we spent this entire conversation tearing apart the idea of balance? Scientist said not exactly. I think we've been refining it. Rabbit Ho Girl says, So there are times when true balance is necessary. Absolutely, replied Scientist. Like what? she says. Scientist said the air in your tires. Rabbit Hole Girl laughs. I wasn't expecting that. Tires to enter the spiritual conversation today. They often do when people least expect it, takes a sip of his coffee and replies A tire needs an appropriate pressure range to function properly. Too little air and performance suffers. Too much air and problems can occur. In that circumstance, maintaining balance is useful. Ah, so balance does win, Rabbiho girl exclaimed. Not so fast, replied the scientist. She raises an eyebrow. Even the air in your tires isn't perfectly constant. What? What do you mean, Rabbiho girl asks? Scientist replies, The temperature changes and the pressure changes with it. You didn't add air, you didn't remove air, the environment changed and the tire responded. Rabbitho girl sits quietly. So even something we think of as stable is still adapting to its environment. Exactly, said the scientist. He writes on the chalkboard, balance does not mean immunity from change. Balance often means maintaining function while responding to changing conditions. Rabbit hole girl smiles. So perhaps the goal isn't rigid balance. Scientist replies, no, perhaps the goal is appropriate balance for the circumstance and flexibility when the environment changes. The scientist lifted his mug. Rabbit hole girl lifted hers. They clinked their mugs together, scientists said, to the beautiful necessary imbalances that allow us to move, grow, create, and become. And Rabbit Hole Girl replied, and having enough reserve to weather the storms and enough courage to lean into the extraordinary, they both sit back in booth number seven. Outside the window, somewhere in the infinite cosmos, the universe tilted gently on its axis, proving once again that even the earth itself was not perfectly balanced, and yet it dances every day.