Balance and Newton’s First Law

January 27, 2009

The simple version of Newton’s First Law of Motion is that an object in motion will stay in motion, and an object at rest will stay at rest, unless acted on by an outside force. I can’t even imagine all the mathematical applications for this, but I can see how it applies in everyday life. Finding balance in our lives is all about having just enough motion and the right amount of stillness to get things done, while still enjoying the process.

There are some people who are almost always “in motion.” They stay busy; they exercise regularly, and have active lives. They often can’t sit still for very long, and are always looking for something to occupy their free time. For these busybodies, even one minute of stillness is too much. They will not rest until an outside force makes them; they get sick, or have a crisis.

Then there are those who tend to stay “at rest,” like me. My natural inclination is to do very little. I am not lazy; I just enjoy my quiet stillness more than I enjoy chaos and busyness. Once I settle into a comfortable situation (a cozy chair with a good book, or a simple routine for each day), it takes an outside force to get me going in another direction. This blog is a good example of an “outside force.”

My life was carefully calibrated for stillness before I started this blog. Now I have added a new task; in essence, I’ve added weight to one side of the scales. It takes time and energy to create the site, research the subject, and write the content. These resources have to come from somewhere; I can’t just create more time and energy. In order to retain balance, I have adjusted the other tasks in my day to include this new one. Instead of watching TV or reading a book after home-schooling, I work on my blog. But it’s a tradeoff I’m willing to make because my new task adds value and joy to my life.

Whenever a new project or task presents itself in my life, I take time to evaluate that task’s contribution to my inner peace. Does this need to be done? Does it need to be done by me? Does it improve my life, or the life of someone else? In short, is it necessary and helpful? If my new project made me less able to home school my son, or less able to enjoy his company because of the added stress during the day, I would stop doing it. It is that simple.

I have systematically eliminated all non-necessary, non-helpful activities from my life. I lifted that weight from one side of the scale, and it automatically balanced. I didn’t have to ADD serenity; I just removed stress… serenity was already there.

It is not necessary to sit around doing nothing in order to find balance and inner peace. It is necessary to find just the right amount of doing and not doing to accomplish the things you value, without sacrificing your inner peace for the sake of meaningless tasks. “In the rush of business, one may be anxious over many things, begin many things, do many things at once, and only half do them all” (Kierkegaard). This constant state of motion is neither productive, nor conducive to lasting happiness.

If you have been in a state of perpetual rest (doing absolutely nothing, or in a depressed funk), it is time to find a meaningful task to get you in motion. If, on the other hand, you are too busy with tasks to enjoy serenity, consider this message the “outside force” that slows you down. Avoid extremes, remove unnecessary burdens, and notice the stillness in a well balanced life.

Related posts:

1. Exposing Our Insecurities to Find a New Balance
2. The Tripod of Balance: Health, Wealth, and Relationships

Posted in balance, inner peace, serenity