Balance in nature is not a straight line

When the sun sets for the first time this year at the North Pole on the Fall Equinox (September 22), the sun will rise for the first time this year at the South Pole. Balance in nature means allowing the opposites. As the caterpillar moves, her body undulates up and down. As the snake moves, he slithers from side to side. As one side extends fully in one direction, the other side naturally balances in the other. This is the way that nature works, expanding and exploring one extreme as it balances by exploring the other. This is the undulating and ever changing movement of a natural riverbed.

Humans sometimes try to approximate balance as if it exists within a straight line, restricting movement in any one direction. Engineers tried to bring "balance" to waterways by channeling their flow into a straight line. Doctors try to "balance" emotions with medication that keeps them constant. The Gregorian calendar has tried to "balance" time by removing any connection to the cycles of the moon. This is not the way nature does balance and not my understanding of what the Buddhists call the Middle Way. Nature keeps balance by meandering and each part is constantly changing, balancing out and being balanced. Nature undulates from seasonal high to seasonal low, from hot to cold, abundance to dirth, light to dark. Our moods meander too from joyous to grief, excited to subdued, active to resting. Our personal cycles and seasons are intimately tied to all of creation which is constantly moving and changing.

When we try to approximate balance by channelization, the straight and narrow, we create a brittle artificial situation. Perhaps we do this out of fear. The polar opposites can feel intimidating; too sad, too angry, or even too full of joy. Living as a straight line, however, is not resilient. It is like walking without curve, with no sway, without adaptability. Our hips and spines need contrast to move and bend, to undulate and absorb shock as they were designed. Moving from a straight line way of life to one that meanders may entail a degree of chaos for a time. This chaos can be what healing looks like. Trust that the natural ebb and flow will find its way again.

From National Geographic: "The Mississippi River's hidden history".

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/mississippi-rivers-hidden-history-uncovered-by-lidar