Balance Within A Tilt-A-Whirl 'Verse

"There's a dark side to each and every human soul. We want to be Obi-Wan Kenobi, and for the most part we are, but there's a little Darth Vadar in all of us. Because the thing is, this ain't no either/or proposition. Because we're talking about dialectics, the good and the bad merging into -- us."
- Chris in the Morning

While I had always been one to opt for light over darkness, I did spend a considerable amount of time in the twilight area. So much time that I would lose a good chunk of my youth before I would find the path. However, spiritual growth does not come without some type of sacrifice, and I certainly have paid my dues.

Han Solo was probably the most balanced character (spiritually speaking) in the entire Star Wars universe, and yes, this includes Yoda. One could always aim for the polar extremes, to be saged out like Obi Wan, or throat choking like Vadar, but not Han, though. He may have eventually fought on the side of good, but he knew it would be necessary to get his hands dirty from time to time.

You see, true balance within the self comes from both light and dark sharing the same space. The Yin/Yang, positive and negative forces mixing it up in a sort of Zen harmony inner stew.

Until recently, I lived an unbalanced life for a very long time. Finally, the time came for me to straighten out my ship, and I did. I now live a very positive existence, but I haven't forgotten the negative. It's still there, and while it no longer dictates the course of my ship, it does serve to keep the positive energy in check. Too much of anything, positive or negative, can be detrimental to the soul.

Here's a practical example of how I live:

A big part of changing my destiny was having to altar my dietary intake, which originally consisted of more negative items (fast food, fried foods, etc.) than positive. I've now reversed that, with about 85% of my diet being positive (fruits, veggies, grains) and only 15% remaining in the negative. While it is possible to go the full 100%, to do so would leave the positive energy unchecked, and this would lead to an inevitable backlash into the negative end of the pool. If you're wondering why your diet isn't working, this would be one of the reasons.

Although I've lost over 65lbs, walk 25 miles a week, and am in the best shape of my life (a musing in of itself for another time), I still drink beer, eat chocolate, and indulge in french toast. These negative items are there to balance out all the good that I eat, and a well balanced system keeps me focused in the moment. There is no backlash because I allow it to be a part of my existence. I need it for the continued definition of the self. As Chris in the Morning said, "Face the darkness, stare it down and own it."

Han knew what he was doing when he installed those hidden containers under the floorboards of the Falcon. He needed those in order to maintain the balance of his existence (and in one case actually save his life), even if he did believe a good blaster at your side was better than some 'hokey religion'. When all was said and done, he was one of the characters who lived to tell the tale, and is probably still flying his beloved Falcon somewhere inside George Lucas's head.

The world spins fast enough. Might be a good idea to get your feet under you while you can. You don't want to miss the really good stuff!