You Don’t Always Need to Make the Right Choice

Embracing a philosophy can feel like a dangerous thing. Philosophies, ideologies, religion, they can be oppressive. Oppressive because you may become trapped in their line of thinking. If you embrace one, it means that you accept its truthfulness, and if you accept a truth, you cannot remain honest while ignoring such truth at the same time. So once you’ve embraced a truth, your honesty will compel you to stick to it. This marginalises your experience of free will, because you feel compelled, and you start making choices based on ideology rather than your own volition.

The Philosophy of Balance recognises this and therefore contains an escape clause: the strive towards balance must itself be balanced. It’s a duality — a choice. Because if we feel we always need to make the right choice, it overwhelms us and oppresses us. It may make us want to lash out against it. So the Philosophy of Balance tells you that you don’t always need to make the right choice. It encourages you to check out if you feel overwhelmed. Choose yourself if the burden feels too heavy otherwise.

It knows that you will come around eventually. Because always choosing yourself isn’t a healthy endeavour, and neither is always choosing others over yourself. Some can see the truth in this more easily, while others may take a long time to see it. But retribution does come for all of us.

Look at me. I took a very long time to see the truth in this. I was very good at choosing myself over others. I took care of myself very well. But retribution came and now I’m feeling compelled to write, to help others. See the truth in it too. I have accepted this. I am grateful I was allowed to choose myself for so long. And I still feel I am allowed, so I keep myself balanced. But I also feel compelled to give back, that’s the duality I embrace.

No one should force you to make the right choice. The Philosophy of Balance certainly won’t. If you feel the need to make the wrong choice, we’ll try to support you too. We merely ask to make sure you don’t hurt too many others in the process. Because every time you hurt someone, you’re accepting their love when they let you.

We’ll see you when you come around. We’ll comfort you. And we’ll accept your love in gratitude.