Everything in our physical and mental worlds is somewhere in a cycle from origin through growth to termination before a new beginning. Seeds sprout, flourish and wither after generating new seeds; governments are established, function and pass into oblivion, only to be replaced by another form of governance.

The secret of stability during this inevitable course is to maintain balance throughout the process.

Ideas: Ideas spring into mind when an individual is physically and mentally prepared and there is a trigger of inspiration. They may be developed or discarded depending on their perceived merit, and once they pass from consciousness, the mind is again open to new ideas. Balance is required between becoming single-mindedly fixated on a single concept and being as flighty as a butterfly, skipping from one idea to the next without developing any.

Beliefs: Beliefs are born of experience, and stubbornly remain to determine thoughts, feelings and behaviors until changed or replaced by new and different experiences. Balance in beliefs is implicit in the adage: “Be not the first by which the new is tried, nor yet the last to lay the old aside.”

Life Itself: Life begins at conception and continues through several stages of development both prior to and after birth before the physical body eventually passes to become once again a part of the dust of the earth. We are survived, some believe, by a soul or spirit that finds a new home; but, be this so or not, what we leave behind in the form of progeny and how we have influenced the next and future generations could certainly be considered as a new beginning for the mind that was once a unique individual.

Balance in life itself during our time on earth comes from the extent to which we embrace the opportunities presented to experience the wonder, grandeur and awesomeness of the night sky, to dwell on the beauty we are capable of seeing in nature up close, to participate in the enjoyment to be derived from our accomplishments and to continually strive to expand the love we give and receive in relationships. Afterlife or no, we clearly have this one, and it is our rare opportunity and privilege to enjoy to the fullest.