Tuesday, November 13, 2007 at 1:01am
A balanced lifestyle is natural and easy
Column: PERFECTBALANCELIFE
If you want to live a balanced life, you must not interrupt the natural flow of the giving and receiving of love in every experience that you encounter. This process ought to be natural and easy, just as natural and easy as it is to breathe.
Our body naturally knows it is necessary to have a continuous supply and free flow of oxygen. But this is only half of the story. It is also necessary to remove the buildup of carbon dioxide being continually produced by your body cells. Too much carbon dioxide in the body can damage muscles or other parts of the body. In order for your body to continue to express life, it must also dispel the natural buildup of carbon dioxide. This is done through the process of exhalation. If we just want to breathe in all the time, filling our lungs with oxygen without exhaling, this doesn't make sense. And if we want to exhale all the time without breathing in, this also doesn't make any sense. The whole process seems to be obvious, natural and simple. In order to exhale, we have to inhale. In order to inhale, we have to exhale. One needs the other, and the two are equal in importance. A perfectly balanced life can be likened to the process of inhalation and exhalation.
As human beings we need to receive a continuous supply of love throughout our lives. This love we need as human beings can be compared to our bodily need for a continuous supply of oxygen that we get from the air we breathe. Just as we stay alive through each continuous cycle of inhaling and exhaling, we can continually experience love only by performing acts of service to others. When our acts of service to others are equal to the love we receive then we can continue to breathe evenly and smoothly. So, we are only as alive as our next act of service to others. If we just want to keep receiving love without giving out from ourselves through acts of service, then we are interrupting the natural flow and rhythm of our breathing cycle.
It is all very simple, really! We just keep a well-balanced relationship between receiving love and performing acts of service out from ourselves to others. In this way we are assured of experiencing a perfectly balanced life, a life as balanced as our natural breathing cycle. Difficulties and unbalanced conditions emerge in our lives when we do not naturally apply this principle of equal exchange between giving and receiving in our interactions with others and the environment. To be human is to extend our love out to others and the environment through acts of service. I think this is what Jesus was making reference to when he said that he came into this world not to be served, but rather to serve (Matthew 20:28).
Our natural cycle of breathing shows us that if we do not adhere to this strict and exact process every second of our lives, we run the risk of not functioning properly, and perhaps even dying. Next week we'll take a look at some behaviors and attitudes that can obstruct this cycle of equal giving and receiving of love in our lives. We'll look at some possible ways we can approach how to experience and maintain balance and the free flow of authentic love in our daily lives.
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Jack LaValley is a practitioner of the martial arts, physical cultivation exercises, and sitting meditation. Although currently working in the hospitality industry, he spends much of his free time helping and working together with those who are pursuing the spiritual path. Jack and his wife, Wha-ja Oh-LaValley, a native of South Korea, reside in Westchester County, New York, and are the proud parents of three beautiful children. Jack is completing his book manuscript, "A Perfectly Balanced Life: Living Each Day with Wisdom and Strength," and expects publication to be in October 2008. You can reach Jack at: perfectbalance!@optimum.net © Copyright 2007 by Jack LaValley.
Our body naturally knows it is necessary to have a continuous supply and free flow of oxygen. But this is only half of the story. It is also necessary to remove the buildup of carbon dioxide being continually produced by your body cells. Too much carbon dioxide in the body can damage muscles or other parts of the body. In order for your body to continue to express life, it must also dispel the natural buildup of carbon dioxide. This is done through the process of exhalation. If we just want to breathe in all the time, filling our lungs with oxygen without exhaling, this doesn't make sense. And if we want to exhale all the time without breathing in, this also doesn't make any sense. The whole process seems to be obvious, natural and simple. In order to exhale, we have to inhale. In order to inhale, we have to exhale. One needs the other, and the two are equal in importance. A perfectly balanced life can be likened to the process of inhalation and exhalation.
As human beings we need to receive a continuous supply of love throughout our lives. This love we need as human beings can be compared to our bodily need for a continuous supply of oxygen that we get from the air we breathe. Just as we stay alive through each continuous cycle of inhaling and exhaling, we can continually experience love only by performing acts of service to others. When our acts of service to others are equal to the love we receive then we can continue to breathe evenly and smoothly. So, we are only as alive as our next act of service to others. If we just want to keep receiving love without giving out from ourselves through acts of service, then we are interrupting the natural flow and rhythm of our breathing cycle.
It is all very simple, really! We just keep a well-balanced relationship between receiving love and performing acts of service out from ourselves to others. In this way we are assured of experiencing a perfectly balanced life, a life as balanced as our natural breathing cycle. Difficulties and unbalanced conditions emerge in our lives when we do not naturally apply this principle of equal exchange between giving and receiving in our interactions with others and the environment. To be human is to extend our love out to others and the environment through acts of service. I think this is what Jesus was making reference to when he said that he came into this world not to be served, but rather to serve (Matthew 20:28).
Our natural cycle of breathing shows us that if we do not adhere to this strict and exact process every second of our lives, we run the risk of not functioning properly, and perhaps even dying. Next week we'll take a look at some behaviors and attitudes that can obstruct this cycle of equal giving and receiving of love in our lives. We'll look at some possible ways we can approach how to experience and maintain balance and the free flow of authentic love in our daily lives.
— — —
Jack LaValley is a practitioner of the martial arts, physical cultivation exercises, and sitting meditation. Although currently working in the hospitality industry, he spends much of his free time helping and working together with those who are pursuing the spiritual path. Jack and his wife, Wha-ja Oh-LaValley, a native of South Korea, reside in Westchester County, New York, and are the proud parents of three beautiful children. Jack is completing his book manuscript, "A Perfectly Balanced Life: Living Each Day with Wisdom and Strength," and expects publication to be in October 2008. You can reach Jack at: perfectbalance!@optimum.net © Copyright 2007 by Jack LaValley.