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Balance.

It’s something everyone knows exists. Athletes depend on it. Gymnasts, cyclists, circus performers – they all recognise the importance of balance, and often their lives depend upon it.

The scientific world readily recognises its existence as well. ‘What goes up must come down’ is a statement of balance, one that aeronautical engineers dare not ignore. "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction’ as well is a highly revered axiom among chemists and the bomb squad of any police department.

Even religions all over the globe, recognise the importance of balance – good and evil, black and white, heaven and hell – it’s in all of our literature, the basis for our movies and television programming. George Lucas didn’t come up with the light and dark sides of the force all on his own. The concept has been around since mankind has been around, long before the commandments were contrived, long before Christ and his teachings.

The founder of Taoism, Lao-tse, who lived from 604-531 BC, wrote of balance in the foundation of Taoism, the book Tao-te-Ching. Taoism comes from the Chinese word Tao, which roughly translated means "the way" or "the path". Tao is a force that flows through all life. The goal of a Taoist's life is to become one with the Tao. One of the ways to do that is to become attuned to the natural balance of life, and to strive for balance in everything.

The symbol of Taoism, which has become popular in this century for various reasons, is the Yin Yang. Yin is the dark side and is the breath that formed the earth. Yang is the light side and is the breath that formed the heavens. They symbolise pairs of opposites, which are seen throughout the universe, such as good and evil, light and dark, male and female. The complication of human civilisation upsets the balance between Yin and Yang. The symbol of Taoism represents Yin and Yang in balance. While the Taoist will recognise the existence of the opposites, she is also aware of how one reinforces the other. To maintain a balance between the opposites, she must accept them and set them aside. Lao-tse wrote:

"When all the world knows beauty as beauty,
There is ugliness.
When they know good as good,
There is evil.
In this way
Existence and non-existence produce each other.
Difficult and easy complete each other.
Long and short contrast each other.
High and low attract each other.
Pitch and tone harmonise each other.
Future and past follow each other.
Therefore, Evolved Individuals
Hold their position without effort,
Practice their philosophy without words,
Are a part of All Things and overlook nothing.
They produce but do not possess,
Act without expectation,
Succeed without taking credit.
Since, indeed, they take no credit, it remains with them."

Balance is achieved by accepting the differences and holding them in balance, not allowing one to become greater in one’s life than the other. When we find ourselves out of balance, we move further from the Tao, the Way, and are unhappy.

You don’t have to look at a fallen trapeze artist or a destroyed chemistry lab to see instances where unbalance has made people unhappy. When a person is allows their mean side overbalance their kind side and do something inconsiderate, the guilt that follows is their sign that they are out of balance. Likewise, if a person is generous to a fault they are often signalled the imbalance with exhaustion and feelings of resentment.

Balance is integral to life. It is present in the universe, in nature, in politics and in each and ever life. When one achieves balance, one is closer to the Tao.