Balancing Act

According to Zen philosophy, “simplicity is the exact balance between too much and too little.”

This echoes the arch over the temple at Delphi – meden agan – nothing in excess. It seems that it’s an age-old problem, this attempt at moderation in all aspects of our lives. Which implies that it’s something we’re really not very good at achieving, if we haven’t figured out how yet.

How do I decide what’s too much or too little? A lack is easier to define than an excess, most of the time. Lack implies an unmet need. Excess? Well, that implies waste and redundancy. I’ve questioned how many shoes/jeans/shirts I need – and yet, the way we live our lives makes Thoreau’s advice on wearing a single outfit until it falls to rags somewhat impractical. We are visual, however much we want to deny it, and we’re also acquisitive. This isn’t cultural, it’s survival. We are the descendants of those who made sure they had at least enough – food, shelter, warmth – because they’re the ones who survived to procreate and raise their children. It’s just that we’ve now reached the point at which some of us have far more than we really need, and we’ve created an entire, multi-billion dollar industry – hell, economic structure – on the basis of manufacturing need.

Zen philosophy runs counter to this mindset of material acquisition – and that’s why most of us find it so difficult and also so intriguing. I’m searching for the balance – between the culture in which I live and work and the attraction of a simpler philosophy. It’s a fine line, and I strongly suspect, sketched in feathered pencil.