Why Being Centred – Makes So Much Sense

Being centred is not the same as being self-centred. It implies a place we have within us, and hopefully around us, to maintain a functional balance and harmony. You cannot stay in balance by going to extremes. If there is a choice to do extreme sports or whatever, make sure you only do one thing at a time! Then return to baseline.

Whether it is the internal locus of control, or a political party – we stay grounded by maintaining certain values, and finding ways to keep peace and harmony in our lives.

Extremism, whether it is religious, political or personal, will either create huge divisions, polarizations, conflicts, and instability, or it will collapse the systems entirely.

Where there are right and left polarizations, one side cannot totally blame the other, because both extremes lead to instability and violence. If there can be negotiation, tolerance, civility around expressing viewpoints, and some order, lawfulness, fair play, etc. things become more stable.

What is extremism anyway? I think it takes a position on the edge or the fringe, whether it is religious, political, or personal. It is interesting to note that extremism in ones personal life can revolve around addiction, ideas, money, fitness, resentments, cultish religious ideas, Armageddon, secret rapture, etc. The sky is the limit!

If some people think there are aliens or electromagnetic thought waves, or whatever – it means they might also act on those beliefs. But what can they do about perceived aliens? If it means storing water and dried food, or stocking up on toilet paper in case of a disaster, that is one thing – but personally, I don’t think we have much control in the event of a big disaster. You could be out for a walk when the earthquake hits. If you got pinned under the beam of a building, it would not matter if your supplies were six feet away.

I do think we should work and plan for the future, but once we do what we can each day, don’t worry about tomorrow. Fear and worry robs us of the joys we would otherwise have today.

Prayer, meditation, long walks, and a multitude of other things can help keep us grounded. It also helps to have a combination of to do lists, along with appreciation and gratitude for the little things in life. Being happy is a decision we have to make when we wake up in the morning.

It makes sense that peace of mind on an individual level, would help contribute to overall peace in this world, if it is widespread enough.

We can share articles, values, ideas, hopes, beliefs, metaphors, songs, poems, pictures, testimonies, political leanings, diet, and health and wellness tips, without becoming extreme. We apply our own values to the way we live our lives, and otherwise live by the laws. It helps to know that wisdom, knowledge, refinement, and dignity – are traits that are above the law.

Anger is an extreme emotion and is often the outcome of fear. We cannot help what we feel. But we can set some parameters around how it is going to affect us, and how we might deal with it. Feeling trapped, or sensing a loss of control might lead to anger.

Thoughts are deeper than speech. Emotions are even deeper than thought. Therefore to help keep anger and fear in check, we have to balance our emotions and bring them back to where there is an appreciation for what we do have, and what we can do.

Emotional extremes can lead to some bad or impulsive decisions. Political extremes are driven by emotional extremes, and building on certain ideologies. Extreme wealth is in contrast to extreme poverty, with a pejorative view of the poor. Wealthy people tend to be highly esteemed regardless of how they got rich.

It almost seems like the whole world is indeed a stage, with thousands of sub-plots – but dare you call them conspiracies. It is hard to know what to believe about current events these days. The pastors giving sermons on youtube are just as likely to be deceiving and teaching wild myths, as any other person might do. Many of the Baptist, Mennonite, Evangelical, and Charismatic churches are teaching dispensationalism from a very altered John Darby version of the Bible. They are teaching pure fiction and doomsday cultist type stuff, not truth.

People go to all kinds of extremes. Most extreme reactions start with negative thoughts and emotions. They might be displaced. They might be irrational. They might be manipulated by an outside source like a finely tuned fiddle, without the person’s awareness. Manipulation is a valuable tool for those who like to promote extremism, or any kind of deception or exploitation.

Therefore, learn to recognize and avoid being manipulated by control freaks. Highly manipulative people are really quite insecure, but many of them become gifted at manipulating others to get what they want. Some are quite transparent, and others are very devious. You only see the mechanisms they used after the fact.

Manipulation is quite common, and develops as soon as we learn how the reward system works. In my opinion, being honest and straight forward with regards to our motives, is much better for strengthening and maintaining trust in relationships.

So much of our productivity stems from patience, consistency, stability, faith, perseverance, hope, minding our own business, and functioning in some kind of harmony with our environment.

Being centred means coming away from the edges and moving toward the middle. For sure, let your yay be yay and your nay be nay. It does not mean giving in to an invasion of personal boundaries. It just means being as adaptable as you can be, while maintaining motivation and self-control.