Like that saying goes, "life is like a box of chocolates". In my sampling of that box I have learned many things. Try as we might, we really can never be sure what we are going to get. This blog is about my belief in the importance of emergency preparation balanced with walking the path of a Buddhist.
Lots of people have heard countless quotes of "words to live by". When I ask individuals to give me one life defining word, I often hear "compassion", "respect", "love", "integrity", or "ambition". There are many more to be sure and are all fantastic words to live by. For me there is one word that I feel is often overlooked, and that word is BALANCE.
Balance is a word that has passed in through one ear and out the other for much of my life. As a child, references to a balanced diet really never struck a cord with me. I was a firm believer that you could never have too much spaghetti or Halloween candy. Okay, yes I got a tummy ache and soon figured out that too much of a good thing could be bad. But wait, that only applies to things like candy and chips or snow and rain, right? For a long time that's what I thought. In my early 30's I started digging deeper into life and the philosophies of Buddhism. Through my sweetheart, I learned more about Native American culture and spiritual beliefs. At Native American gatherings it would not be unusual to hear the phrase uttered, "walk in balance" as words given by well wishers for a safe journey; a journey that is not just from your house to the grocery store, but a journey through life.
This got my wheels turning....
Balance is a situation in which different things exist in equal and mutually beneficial amounts.
Living in balance isn't just about making sure you get the right proportion of vegetables with your carbs and protein. Too much of a really good thing can be devastatingly bad. Water is so important to sustaining life, yet drinking too much water can actually kill you (water intoxication). Even love to the extreme can lead someone into a warped perspective that is unhealthy and potentially deadly.
My mother would say that you could never have too much faith; however, we see examples around the world everyday where, in the name of religion/faith, an individual will commit horrible crimes. The Islamic faith is not, at it's core, any more violent or dangerous than the Catholic faith. Extremists in both of these religions have killed in the name of their God.
Being unprepared for life's little emergencies can be inconvenient. Living life with rose-colored glasses and thinking that a larger scale emergency would never touch your life can have deadly consequences. Be sure that living completely consumed with a fear that the world will end can be just as deadly. (more to follow in the next post)
** BALANCE **
The Buddha specifically recommended maintaining a balance between faith and wisdom
Blind faith is a dangerous thing; blind faith in religion, blind faith in the belief that the world will end... heck, even blind faith that nothing devastating will ever happen. Life in the extreme is a delusion.
This blog is a window to view my journey in balancing faith and wisdom, preparation for possible emergency situations and living in the present, as well as all that pops up in between.
Now don't take my word for it!
The Buddha said "Don't blindly believe what I say. Don't believe me because others convince you of my words. Don't believe anything you see, read, or hear from others, whether of authority, religious teachers or texts. Don't rely on logic alone, nor speculation. Don't infer or be deceived by appearances."
Beware of buzz words like: "We did all the research for you so you don't have to!!". This is a glaring red flag to propaganda and information with potently harmful consequences.
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