Balance Requires Simplicity

Rockbalance July 13
Originally uploaded by hickoree

It seems to me, as it has to a host of others, Buddhist, Dine, Lakota, and on the list goes, that for one to be content or joyous, life must be in balance. To find balance one must seek simplicity. And although many go it alone, it also seems to me that a prerequisite of a balanced life is community. This may be one's church or sangha or, well, it is like simplicity-it may mean many things. We can all find some sense of community I suppose, but for it to lead to balanced existence and joyous living I would think it has to be more than a weekly gathering where nothing is shared but time and perhaps theological opinions. During the time I spent in rehab I had a vivid sense of community, temporary though I knew it must be. We shared living space(four to a room for most of the men), we shared meals in the common dining room, and most of all we shared our stories and our pain and our dreams of wholeness and healing. We can't all pack up and move to a commune or make other major life changes, but how simple life can be when we have people who really know us, who are there when we need them and who want what is best for us. For most of us, if we are fortunate enough to have a close and loving family, that may suffice. I believe, however, that there must be more. A family that is not related by blood, but by common purpose.