On Balance

1.
Lady Justice holds scales, weighing truth and justice under law as if they were precious jewels or metals. The scales tip one way or another, in favor of one side of the argument or the other, guilt or innocence, responsibility or lack thereof. Justice and fairness, I suppose, balance the scale even when it tips.

2.
In art history, I learned about the "rule of thirds." Imagine a space divided into nine equal parts, then place objects at or along the intersecting lines to create a balance of tension, something apparently the human eye finds both natural and pleasing. Balance is achieved through imbalance; the center of interest is not centered.

3.
Chemical imbalance was once thought the seat of some mental disorders. Recently, researchers have discovered that these dis-orders or imbalances may actually be caused by faulty neural circuits in the brain. Something misfires or misdirects or delays, and behavior is thrown out of balance. What is "normal" for the person whose circuits misfire, then, is "abnormal" for others. But this imbalance is not pleasing.

4.
Homeostasis or the balance of nature posits that plants and living organisms depend on one other for their existence in a community. It's a popular view of the way the world works "naturally," perhaps because it feels right. The Lion King's  "Circle of Life" celebrates this balance and invites emotional response. But chaos theory challenges this notion, unbalancing a notion of the "given."

5.
A remarkable thing about Odonates and some people is their ability to remain balanced, even when tipped or removed from a natural environment. The insect, I think, doesn't think, but responds and acts as its species does. Take the Eastern Amberwing dragonfly, for example: a master flyer, it remains balanced even sometimes with crimped or torn wings or injured abdomen. But people remain a mystery. Is their balance a gift of biology, their imbalance a curse?

6.
The jury is still out.