Imagine the fulcrum as actual, neither figurative nor metaphorical, but occupying the very tangible plane upon which we currently find (or lose) ourselves. To stand atop the “point of perfection” – the absolute middle between all extremes (love and hate, night and day, here and there) – is the nothingness of Nirvana, a windless and colorless floating serenity, and, suffice it to say, a feat accomplished by an infinitesimal few. The rest of us endure the perennial battle of the cycles within cycles of life, for whether we are identified as passive, proactive, or in constant flux, we remain warriors of conscience. Here, actions (the impulsive and the meticulously planned, alike) are given weight, invested in, or discarded for alternative and more preferred actions. The field is expansive and all encompassing. Upon it, all, even the non-combatants, are fodder for the feud that time began.
Institutions, rather, schools of thought, clothe themselves in a myriad of fabrics – silks, cottons, and linens. The common thread is apparent: the rule in life is we will all wear something. Symbols and terminology are the languages of terms and conditions to which we either willingly adhere or defiantly contest. These languages are committed to memory and subsequent implementation, to be used either as expressions (verbal and physical) of camaraderie or colored with ingenuity, whereupon paradigmatic shifts transpire (i.e. sea changes). For instance, is it best to educate the child so that she might learn to read, write, and add in standardized fashion? Or is it best to equip her with all the essential tools so that she might critically and independently learn to think, process and innovate? If the latter seems like the obvious choice then why do America’s academic shortcomings, including the multifarious socioeconomic divides, always seem to linger on the front pages of our newspapers?
The phenomenon of coming to terms can be observed in every social enclave. Philosophers are required to learn the most recent and relevant inclusions to their very precise lexicon. Similarly, the youthful and urban “Dionysian culture” feels compelled to keep abreast of and, in fact, manufacture the slang and fashion the overwhelming majority of the commercial industrial complex will invariably emulate and ultimately profit from (by this point, however, the streets will have already moved on to the next underground apotheosis). Coming to terms is acknowledging the validity of a constructed body (social, religious, corporate, et al) and conceding to at least some of the ideological identifiers that distinguish that particular order from any other. Without oversimplifying, straddling these orders boils down to immersing one’s self in the culture, its language, and its methodology. Whether the goal is garnering admission to, and excelling within, the high school chess club, the local union, or the American Enterprise Institute (!), the fundamental requirements are the same.
With regard to optimizing the purpose and direction of the collective, is it worth making a distinction between, say a prodigy with an exceptional memory and an innovative thinker? (This is the role of traditional intelligence versus emotional and/or intuitive intelligence. The former is often lauded for his ability to recite facts, figures, dogma, etc. The latter is usually on the periphery of the current climate of ideas – the zeitgeist – sifting through alternate applications of functioning mechanisms.) The answer is a matter of utility. If your organization is at the top of its game (i.e., the machine ain’t broke…), the best course of action is to continue employing the most competent – traditionally intelligent – members of the applicant pool (i.e. …don’t fix it). If, on the other hand, your organization is suffering or leaning towards a deficit in some capacity, the desire may very well be to shake things up a bit by inviting new blood – intuitively intelligent – personnel to inspire the group in a more prosperous direction.
Barring acknowledged, accepted, and encouraged practices of racism, sexism, and xenophobia, inclusion to an institution is a matter of compliance – a willingness of coming to terms. Once these terms are met, it is then left in the hands (and the conscience) of the individual to either settle into or climb out of his place within the organization. Case in point, the institution of marriage, as the newlywed husband declares an internal affirmation that he is finally ready to be a loving, committed and protective provider for his wife and family.
Our analysis and reanalysis of where we stand as bodies within bodies is endemic to our composition. Even the isolationist sees herself in relation to others (otherwise she would not be in isolation).
The preservation and maintenance of spirit, health, and sanity is a balancing act. Falling is an inevitable part of life. Grace is in the conciliatory fact that billions of other human beings are busy steadying themselves on their respective planks atop their respective fulcrums – we are all surfing in place.
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So, as these unread newspapers lay before me, spread all across my sinking mattress, I prepare myself for tragic stories that question my faith in humanity, tales that challenge my notions of my personal worth (What have I brought to the table lately?), and articles that introduce me to characters who, for at least an instance, found the balance they needed to change the world. And speaking of the world, I would be naïve not to imagine the intelligent being that is this planet extending her arms and dropping her knees as she steadies herself on her plank atop her fulcrum in that universal quest for balance; for she, like us, erupts, ignites, floods, quakes, and surfs…
…Hold on.