Balanced liked a flat roller coaster.

[TeaDidikai]

Balance.

One of those lovely words that has become so popular in the neo-pagan scene. I have to admit- I’m not a big fan of it.

Balance to me is only a virtue in so much that it keeps one from falling on their arse. Beyond that- or within any metaphorical applications there of, I say leave it in Eastern Thought (I say that about a lot of Eastern Thought actually- respect it? Sure. Want it as part of my personal experiences? Not so much).

What are the virtues exposed by the popular scene about Balance?

There are lots of pretty concepts found within balance.
I tried really hard to think of as many as I can and all I kept coming up with was a system of dichotomy and equality.

But I have to say- I think it is over rated.

I don’t think fools should be treated with the same respect that people who aren’t fools are treated with. I don’t think Men and Women are Equal any more than I think an Apple and an Orange are Equal.

The other concept that comes up a lot with Balance is “stability”.

I have to look cross-eyed at pagans for this one. Stability is nice- but in an overarching theme of nature in the vast portion of neo-pagan beliefs- it isn’t a natural concept. Crops fail. And that sweet little candle that you light on your alter can turn your home into a flaming tomb. Yes- humans manage their resources and yes, there is a psychological status quo- but when one strives for that earnestly one ends up a very dull puppy- after all, who wants to ride a flat roller coaster?

Life in the Western Psyche isn’t lived in the moment, it is lived in the excitement. That isn’t balance, but it is enjoyable enough to shape and sustain a cultural paradigm- so why so hung up on Balance as a spiritual virtue?  

[Henry Dorsett Case]

Pardon the analogies - they're the only ways I can think to explain my views on Balance.

I used to play Magic: The Gathering. Part of the reason I quit, well over ten years ago, was the ill-concieved concept of Balance in the game. Want to bring out that 12/12 monster? Prepare to pay a buttload of mana, sacrifice creatures, and maybe even pay upkeep every turn for it. Every card had to be perfectly balanced, for fear that it would be "too powerful". Sometime around my senior year of highschool (also fast approaching ten years ago) I got into another game called On The Edge. There are cards in that game that are ungodly powerful. Capable of being brought out without much cost, limited requirements, few restrictions, and lots of raw power. Then there are instantly-usable cards that can take them right back off the playing field, no questions asked. The whole game is balanced. Very few cards have been called degenerate since the game came into being, simply because there are very few cards that can be abused with impunity. I see the concept of worldly Balance much the same way - too many people are obsessed with balancing their energies, balancing their actions, "evening out their Karma" (yes, I picked that phrase for the disgust factor), and not enough are trying to contribute to the balance of the system as a whole.

The problem I have with the people concerned with individual "internal" balance is that it's like making a jigsaw puzzle out of square pieces. There's no substance to the structure - pieces that do not interlock do not strengthen the whole. Hell, I almost converted to the fictional Nisan religion from Xenogears just because it advocated interaction among mankind.

Oh, and I have no love for balance-as-stability. That's stagnation.  

[Aesi]

Henry Dorsett Case

Oh, and I have no love for balance-as-stability. That's stagnation.

Neither have I. Stagnation is the Nothing from the Neverending Story. Good and evil, life and death, they recycle each other's energy, keeping it moving. And power changes hands. Stagnation devours energy, and a stable balance stagnates.

But, is it possible to ever have a stable balance in any part of the universe? It's contrary to the laws of universe, isn't it? Even unmoving water changes. It may become stale, not potable, but it can still provide a breeding ground for insects and bacteria.  

[Shavis]

Seeing as how I sing the Songs of Balance endlessly to pretty much anyone who listens I have to say I'm not surprised this came up.
First, I agree. Stability is meaningless. Stagnation is the Soul-Killer and equality is a pretty shiny illusion meant to keep the utterly inept feeling special. I speak of Balance more as a necessary tension of forces. Death and life must at some point even out; if not, everything dies. When I speak of Balance it is more along the lines of a concept that has been ridden a few times in this guild: Creation and Entropy. The whole concept of a "natural balance" where everything works out by default and no one really has to do anything is a piss-me-off like no other. It denies accountability and makes sloth and stupidity the soup of the day. Creation and Entropy are natural forces true, but in order for those forces to stay in such a way that anything can exist there must be effort. Balance of the Self is pointless if you're the only one with any balance.
Gods, such random, broken rambling.... I'm sorry I'm going to bed now...
[/rant]  

[CuAnnan]

TeaDidikai

I don’t think fools should be treated with the same respect that people who aren’t fools are treated with. I don’t think Men and Women are Equal any more than I think an Apple and an Orange are Equal.

And there we have my view of balance summed up.
Treat people with the amount of respect they deserve.
Thus their actions balance with the amount of respect they have.
Magic exacts a cost.
Thus the action is balanced with what it takes from me.  

[Pelta]

A rollercoaster with ups and downs will still level out in the end.

People are not equal. I am not equal to the homeless guys who heckled me in the states. Nor am I equal to Reagun (and by "equal" I mean that funny mathematical sign like "=" but with three lines), if only because I'm not male. That's not to say that either are worse or better than me because those are only subjective concepts. I believe in balance. That doesn't mean I'm going to go out and do things I would consider as bad just because I've done a lot that I would consider good. I'm not a balanced person. I believe I'm part of the balance. But that's different to expecting everything in my tiny microcosm of a universe to work out for me all the time. That's just naiive. s**t happens, and life would be awful boring (and constipated) if it didn't.  

[Doctrix]

I grew up with a parent who was into Ceremonial Magic and the idea of the Middle Pillar as a guiding principle. As I grew older, and perhaps rebelled a bit from the ideas of balance and moderation, I decided that, for me, those ideas were an oversimplification. Instead of balance, I try to focus on perspective. Understanding my place in the grand scheme of cycles is far more productive for me than trying to run backwards on the escalator.

Sometimes, when I'm feeling particularly... Well... Unbalanced, I meditate on the wheel of the year. I think about how much longer the extremes can seem compared to the brief instant of equinox. Works for me. In the end, I've come full circle, back to balance.  

[Neko_Bast]

Balance is not making everything "equal," at lest not to me. Its more about knowing that everything has an oposite and those oposites are a natural order. Leading a "balanced life" is knowing that bad stuff will happen and that you need to put some effert out to get anything back. Being "balanced in Magic" is knowing that ever act has a result, known or unknown, wanted or unwanted; and taking responsibility for those results. To many people try to be balanced and take it to the extrem, as a result, becoming unbalanced.  

[Doctrix]

Neko_Bast

Balance is not making everything "equal," at lest not to me.

Which brings up a good point...

I've seen balance mean:
Equal
Equivalent
Complimentary

I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but I think I notice a difference.  

[Starlock]

[Kudzu]

Neko_Bast

Balance is not making everything "equal," at lest not to me.

Which brings up a good point...

I've seen balance mean:
Equal
Equivalent
Complimentary

I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but I think I notice a difference.

I suppose, in terms of lifestyle, I don't view balance in that light either. When I think balance, I think of "dynamic equilibrium" and while that does involve equivalents, equals, and complements, there's not stagnation nor stability (though from a certain point of view, there is). Inevitably everything on this Earth has its own dynamic equilibrium but that doesn't neccesarily entail equal parts "A" and "B." Some will dynamically fluctuate more around "A" and others more around "B." Everything has its own sort of balance, in other words.

If we were to average the equilibrium/balance point of everything in the universe, would we get a 50-50 split of 'true balance?' Who knows?  

[Fiddlers Green]

And here I've been treating Balance as my ability to walk without falling. ninja  

[CuAnnan]

Fiddlers Green

And here I've been treating Balance as my ability to walk without falling. ninja

You have that ability?
Damn... I wish I could do that.  

[TeaDidikai]

Fiddlers Green

And here I've been treating Balance as my ability to walk without falling. ninja

That's how I treat it. whee  

[Fiddlers Green]

My point is, I view the virtue of Balance as being the one that allows us to keep (metaphorically) walking, even when things both internal and external are trying to knock us down, or sway us too far in any one direction. 3nodding

No Wing, I can't walk without falling down... my physical balance is even worse than my spiritual. sweatdrop  

[Triste-chan]

Rather than actually state my views on balance, which is what you wanted, I will instead go off on a tangent concerning the nature of balance. Alot of this is obvious, but shut up. I like to say it.

First, a discussion of the definition of balance.

dictionary.reference.com

bal·ance ( P ) Pronunciation Key (blns)
n.

1. A state of equilibrium or parity characterized by cancellation of all forces by equal opposing forces.

[cite]

There are other definitions, but this is the one relevent for the sake of discussion.

1. A state of equilibrium or parity characterized by cancellation of all forces by equal opposing forces. - Essentially, when x is the opposite of y, for every part x, there must be an equal part y.

You might think of this as a scale, but for the most part, people think of the things on each side of the scale as opposites. For instance, if you labeled each side of the scale x and y, x wouldn't equal 'Good' while y equaled 'Masculine,'' or x wouldn't equal 'Evil' while y equaled 'Feminine.' (These are a few common issues of 'balance' within the pagan community.) The most common example of this that I know of is that of Yin and Yang, assuming I understand it correctly, which I might not. Though I hear that Yin and Yang has nothing to do with good and evil.

Another way of looking at this concept is as a mirror and a man, where the man is 'x' and the mirror is 'y.' The mirror image, of course, is the opposite of the image of the man. Of course, when the man moves, the mirror must move with it - the mirror cannot stay where it was before. In this way of looking at things, the world balances itself naturally - when a good thing happens, a bad thing will happen as well. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted and whatnot.

So whether the world naturally balances itself or whether balance is only an ideal, here are some possible issues with this model:

1) The implications of having good perfectly equal to evil are somewhat frightening, assuming you believe in concepts of good and evil. That means for every kind word there would ideally be an insult, for every good samaritan a rapist.

2) It doesn't seem to have any particular upsides, though I suppose that's just my view on it.

This belief, however, is not as common among NeoPagans as another that is like it - when x and y are opposites, for every part x there must be some part y. Notice that x and y do not have to be equal. They must simply both be present. You know, "You can't see light without darkness" and all that jazz. Not that this stops the fluffies from complaining about people being evil, but there you go.

Anyway. Yeah, that's it. It turns out that I have no ******** opinion on balance. I just felt like talking about that.