Balancing Good & Evil
Somehow, we have to move beyond good and evil in order to play a different game. I think this is what Yoga teaches: balancing opposing forces in us, making them complementary, and then finding a way to continually create conditions of harmony in ourselves. Keeping the balance of inner harmony takes a lot of attention and energy, and that's one definition of practice. We create vitality so we can maintain equilibrium.
We should engage in our daily actions without our eye on the outcomes and should act in a way that serves as a demonstration model to the world. I think most people do want to do good in the world. Personally, I try to do good things that do not necessarily make the world a better place, because the world is the place that it is, I just do things that I think are good in and of themselves. Whenever someone tries to make the world a better place, they’re going to meet someone who has a different idea of what a better place means, and that can lead to conflict.
Whether it's a painting, a song, a book, a company, any creation you are making or working on, it doesn't have to change the world, you just have to feel within you if it's worthwhile to do, and then take a chance on it. That's one of the secrets to balance.
We constantly hear about the "battle against this" and the "fight against that" and the "war on the other"—if you're always looking for battle, that's what you're going to find. When something is out of balance we don't have to fight against that thing, we can also do the thing that counteracts it. Without behavior change, nothing will happen. If something doesn't work, then do it differently. Even a Yoga practice. Because each of us, individually, are components of the world, when we change ourselves, we are also changing the makeup of the world.
To stop giving attention to the negatives and engage in positive behavior takes work. Both positivity and negativity are infectious and knowing that is one way to know how to tip the scales one way or the other. Another thing that is infectious is being helpful. Even better than being helpful is being thoughtful, which is the mark of a caring, gentle soul. Being thoughtful to those around us – aside from just being a good way to live – is that it is the easiest way to avoid becoming self-centered and self-satisfied, primed to be knocked off our perch into an endless cycle of us vs them.
