Spiritual Meanings of Balance

Someone in the Facebook page Kierkergaard, Dostoeysky, Existentialism & Absurdism recently asked a simple, interesting question: "What is balance ?"

To me, balance is essentially a biological-physical phenomenon. We can talk of a balanced diet, of a balanced work-leisure life and a balance between physical activities and rest.

But in the spiritual sense, it has not much meaning except in the context of the immutable laws of justice whereby a man shall reap what he sows. 

If  he  kills  another  man,  his  own  life  will  be at  stake  for  the crime if  convicted  in  a  court of law. An  eye  for  eye,  a  tooth  for  a  tooth, according  to  the  Mosaic  law.

And here is the metaphysical, existential challenge to every man and woman: when our inner conscience discerns what is right and wrong in a higher order beyond the physical, we will try to make sense of that unseen order with our rational minds. 

Manichaen  &  Taoist  concepts  of  balance 

So in the beliefs of the ancient Persian and Eastern philosophers and mystics, the order of the world is held up by the balance of good and evil forces (or energies). 

For them, this balance is necessary for a kind of cosmic equilibrium without which either energy will cause disorder and constant chaos. 

The mystical Taoists believe in the Yin and Yang energy that flows through all life forms. When either energy becomes too strong, there is disaster.

In Persia, the Manichaen theology (founded in the 3rd century by a man called Mani) taught the dualistic view of good and evil. 

The key narrative is that a powerful God was opposed by the eternal evil power and that man and his soul is a by-product of this battle, under the influence of light and dark.

Scientifically, we can observe there is a certain tension between gravitational and centrifugal forces that drive the perfect orbits of the planets and all physical phenomenon.

In the spiritual sense, this kind of balance is a philosophical distraction at best, and a deception, at worst. 

Good and evil in the garden of Eden 

So this brings us back to the question: "What is the intrinsic nature of good and what is evil?" 

Good is firstly, knowing the signs and motivation of evil: when God told Adam & Eve not to eat of the fruit of the Knowledge of Good & Evil, the truth of the matter is that eating of that fruit will lead to their spiritual death. 

It was not an arbitrary test of our obedience but a test of one's "free will" whether to use it for self-glorification and self-supremacy or trust ourselves in the care and love of God. 

Secondly, being good is committing oneself (in deed and thought) to aligning with God's ways to glorify Him together whilst overcoming the temptations of evil.

So we have two concepts of good here: one is for our own good (eternal life or death) and the other is for others, paving the way for the Kingdom of God on earth. 

In the Christian context, the truth of good is our salvation from sin and the working out of that salvation through the trials of life. In John 14:6, Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father (God) except through me." 

And the truth of evil is the destruction of our souls by Satan, who is like an Artificial Intelligence super robot programmed with enormous powers to destroy mankind by any means necessary. 

Stacked against God's powers, Satan is already a defeated foe with an insane goal to destroy as many souls as he can out of spite.

So, mankind is engaged in a strange, spiritual battle that is played in reverse because in the timeless future (Book of Revelations), the war is already won by God. 

The purpose of our lives on earth is to win that battle and finish the race at the end of our lives, ultimately receiving the crown of victory from our Creator. 

In summary, the only meaningful concept of balance in the spiritual sense is the qualitative balance in our inner man (intellectual, emotional, physical state of being) that is essential for us to discern intelligently and decide not to touch and consume the forbidden fruit: the path to self-glorification and self-determination. 

In other words, every man for himself and God against all