Conflict and Balance in Contemporary Society
There is a Buddhist axiom that rests at the very heart and foundation of Buddhist philosophy. In simple terms, it is to “seek the Middle Way” — to find the balance between the “extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification.” (Wikipedia contributors. “Middle Way.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 22 May. 2023. Web. 24 Mar. 2026.). This premise underlies the Noble Eightfold Path, the core teaching of Buddhist philosophy.
In broader terms, however, “seeking the Middle Way” represents, I would suggest, the attempt to find the balance between the dueling opposites — the entrenched polarities — that characterize virtually every facet of human experience.
The universe, as we perceive and experience it, is defined, at a fundamental level, by duality and polarity — by incessant conflict and competition between seemingly irreconcilable polar opposites. This ceaseless conflict appears to suggest a state of imbalance in the current order and the need to restore balance and, possibly, to restore an optimal state of equilibrium — a condition that, according to the ancient tribal memories of most of human society, once existed and is now lost.
In simple terms, the existing state of imbalance and conflict indicates to us that something is wrong with our world, our experience of reality — possibly at a very deep level.
We all have an innate sense of balance — we can all intuitively sense what balance and equilibrium are. Even as we have a physical sense of balance — the vestibular system residing primarily in our inner ears — we also have a visceral discernment of spiritual balance in the universe in general. We can intuitively sense, even collectively, when things are out of sorts in the community we live in — when there is “a disturbance in the Force,” as George Lucas might describe it in his Star Wars movies. We equate moral justice with balance, possibly for this very reason — emblematically, we represent justice with the image of balanced scales. Justice, for human society, represents the balance between (conflicting) polar opposites.
Because we have an intuitive understanding of spiritual balance and equilibrium, we invariably become viscerally troubled or disturbed by a situation, circumstance, or thing that, in some way, is perceived as being unbalanced or extreme — even one that may be carefully rationalized or even legitimized by means of an elaborate, detailed intellectual argument of some sort. We can usually sense the injustice or imbalance in such a corrupt, distorted, or fallacious process of reasoning, even when we may be ill-equipped to refute it using language and logic. We can still intuitively sense when an argument or case is dishonest, deceitful, specious, or corrupt, and we tend to react viscerally to such a scenario, often with deep-seated physical revulsion or disgust.
The concept of the “middle way” — of finding balance and equilibrium, the optimal path forward — is not merely a Buddhist idea. It is found in many philosophical and mythological traditions around the world. In Greek mythology, for example, in Book XII of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, the episode recounting how the epic hero Odysseus/Ulysses has to navigate a route between the monsters Scylla and Charybdis is a legendary case wherein finding the “middle way” forward is the only solution — the path of survival as well as the path of highest virtue. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the renowned Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount (KJV Bible, Matthew 5.1-12) are Jesus Christ’s description of an ultimate cosmic balance. In the Biblical Book of Proverbs, there is the verse, “A false balance is abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is his delight” (KJV Bible, Proverbs 11.1), while in the Book of Job, the protagonist, Job, says, “Let me be weighed in an even balance that God may know mine integrity” (KJV Bible, Job 31.6), which depict the significance of balance and equilibrium in the Biblical tradition.
Tyranny or dictatorship, in the political realm, invariably represents an enforced imbalance in society — i.e., maintaining an unbalanced, unjust situation by means of force of arms, which may even falsely be legitimized by specious verbal argument or by the techniques of propaganda, brainwashing, and mind control. Such a situation may work for a while — even for an extended duration, if the unbalanced status quo is maintained with enough ruthlessness, i.e., to the extent that people are intimidated and subjugated into forced compliance. But, because human beings generally have a visceral reaction against imbalance and injustice — even as our inner ears maintain our innate sense of physical balance — people will, at some point, intuitively rebel against such enforced tyranny, especially when they are pushed too far — beyond the point of tolerance of any unjust, immoral, unbalanced situation or circumstance.
In the long term, therefore, the human situation is generally self-correcting, because human nature inherently prefers balance to imbalance, justice to injustice, truth to falsehood, honesty to corruption. The only question is: how long does it take to self-correct, and what is done to speed up the process and make it less painful, bloody, and destructive than it needs to be?
Human nature is part animal and part spiritual — a concept that represents an internal duality — a nature that is perpetually at war with itself. There is a part of our being that is governed and gratified by nature, seeking to be in accordance with nature. Similarly, there is a part of our being that yearns for and seeks out a higher order — a dimension of the celestial, the domain of the spiritual. For there to be balance in human society, we first need to find balance within ourselves — in our own dualistic human nature. A truly whole or balanced human persona is characterized by a balance between these two conflicting aspects of human being-ness — between the disparate parts of the dualistic human consciousness.
Taking things to an extreme in either direction represents an imbalance. For instance, the domain of nature, in the extreme, can be cruel and brutal, with the predatory hunting of one animal species by another. The experience of nature’s cruelty tends to violate our spiritual sense of humanity and humaneness, of ethics and morality. On the other hand, the excessive sensitivity and sentimentality caused by being coddled in a protective, luxurious environment, one that is separated from nature and constrained by the privileges of urban civilization, violates our inherent sense of connection with nature and represents taking things to an extreme in the opposite direction — of being separated from nature and reality and being immersed in a virtual world of artifice and artificiality.
In order for there to be balance in human society, we first need to find balance within ourselves
The brain is, similarly, divided into the left and right cerebral hemispheres — the calculating, analytical side versus the intuitive, aesthetic side. A well-developed human persona is one that finds a balance between these conflicting dualities and allows the two aspects of human consciousness to synthesize in a balanced way and collaborate effectively.
Another duality in human experience is the one between brain and brawn — between the physical and the mental. Finding the balance between these polarities means enabling brain and brawn to complement one another, as exemplified by the most skillful and adept athletes in any sport or by the most highly proficient craftsmen, artists, or artisans in any craft, trade, pursuit, or genre. The game of golf perfectly synthesizes all dimensions of human ability — the best golfers need to be physically fit and mentally trained, and the very best operate from an almost mystical Zen state of flow.
The same principle of finding balance amid conflicting polar dualities is applicable to a whole host of other domains — in the question of the duality of the genders, of warring personality types, in the archaic medical concept of ailments arising from an imbalance in the bodily humors and other characteristics, and, especially, in cultural and socio-political conflicts of every description.
Having previously discussed the idea of “unity consciousness,” which results especially from the practice of TM (Transcendental Meditation), I mentioned that it is an organic solution to the problem of entrenched duality and conflict in the human experience.
It must be noted, however, that “unity consciousness” does not imply the erasure of polar opposites. It does not represent the annihilation of all dualities and differences. Rather, it means the harmonious synthesis of opposing principles — of dualities working together in a dance of harmony and collaboration. The optimal union between male and female, for example, may be represented as a waltz — a harmonious dance in which both genders move together, in synchronized fashion, each naturally playing their role in the synthesis of a union that is physical as well as mental and spiritual in equal measure.
In a similar fashion, dueling tribes and warring nations can learn to cooperate by working out common ground and collaborating in a meaningful way that is mutually beneficial — a way that doesn’t aim to eliminate differences or to enforce a false conformity or uniformity, but which is balanced and makes sense, is harmonious and natural — which works in concert like the harmony of music.
The essence of “unity consciousness,” as I see it, therefore, is for every individual to find personal balance, which includes and incorporates justice and meaning and their appropriate role in the collaborative whole — a role that one arrives at naturally and organically, and that makes sense physically as well as psychologically, i.e., intellectually and morally.
Ultimately, it is about every conscious individual voluntarily collaborating in the symphony or dance of existence to create something that is both natural and organic, as well as celestial and spiritual — the universal balance of all polar opposites and dualities into a profoundly meaningful whole.
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