#64 The See-Saw Syndrome

“To be holy is to be natural, to befriend the worlds that come to balance in you”.

I recently saw a YouTube video about life in America in the 1950’s and 60’s. It just happened to be the years I grew up in, and many happy memories came flooding in, just like it was yesterday. One clip was kids playing on a see-saw. It was hard to believe that such a simple device could bring so much joy to youngsters back then. Although some mean-spirited kids would like to hop off real quick while the other side was up in the air, causing them to come crashing to the ground, I always thought the object was to try and get it perfectly balanced between two groups of riders, or to simply enjoy the up and down of it all.

It just reflected to me the whole idea about life in general. It’s all about balance isn’t it? Although the balance has shifted more toward our own emotions rather than another group of people sitting on a beam over a fulcrum . It’s tricky, to say the least as we have to be on guard more often as our emotions seem to be running the show more than ever these days. This is what I call the see-saw syndrome.

You could leave the house some morning feeling wonderful, on a bit of a “high”, smiling and enjoying your drive to work, then something that you feel is serious happens at work that brings your emotions crashing to the ground, while at the same time, co-workers find amusement in it. Seemingly non-caring, almost callus.

Where does this put you? Do you give in to your emotions at the time, remaining authentic to yourself, or do you rally quickly and join gaiety of the co-workers, denying your sensitivity? Are you right and they wrong? Are you weak and they are strong?

If you’ve awakened to any sense of self, you should quickly come to balance. The stimuli, or the event is the fulcrum. Some will be on one side, and some on the other, and neither is wrong. If your emotions are pointing you in one direction, be genuine and follow it, humble yourself if that’s what it takes, because others will see your authenticity and when it’s all said and done, you’ll be respected first by your own self, then by others.

Our current world situation is giving us all plenty of opportunities to become unbalanced, that’s for sure. Not to mention our various high stress jobs, relationships and financial trials. Our participation in day-to-day life helps us realize that there is real truth in the old adage of “being in the world, but not of it.” If we can learn to rise just a little above all the stuff in our personal world, and being more the observer than the player, with one foot on one side of the fulcrum, and one on the other; well then when there is a crash, it softens the blow. We need the ride as a conscious observer.

The bottom line is this; what is it that we all want? Beyond money or things of the flesh as they say. I’d say it would be health and well being. And how would you get that? Again, I’d say the fundamental component would be peace and harmony. Now, just how do you get peace and harmony? By being aware of and being able to balance your emotions. Because emotions are how we process our life experiences. And the see-saw syndrome provides the opportunities. We need to recognize both sides and be okay with which we choose as long as it’s authentically you.