I’ve been giving something a lot of thought, and I still can’t quite get my arms around it. Maybe it is because of the weather, which—except for the lack of rain—has been wonderful this spring in North Carolina.
Anyway, it seems for the most part we live in two worlds. It is much like these beautiful spring days: the sky is terrific, but the flowers, grass, trees, and lakes desperately need water to survive. One world is dominated by wars, politicians yelling at each other, and those who want to tell you what is wrong with everything. (I know that is a sweeping generalization, but this world is undeniably loud). The other is a large number of people who are simply living their lives day to day, enjoying their parks, work, and families. The less they hear about the world’s problems, the better. This world is quiet.
The loud side is always trying to draw everyone in with screens, sirens, and gunshots; the others simply want nothing to do with it. They seek to escape that noise. Sure, there is crossover—people who are comfortable in both worlds, or times when an issue becomes too important for either side to ignore.
The search is: how do we find a balance? Perhaps it is like the North Carolina spring. We cannot have the sun without the eventual necessity of the rain, just as we cannot live entirely in the quiet while the rest of the world is screaming. Maybe balance isn’t about choosing one world over the other, but learning how to tend to our own gardens while acknowledging the storm clouds on the horizon.
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