Life is ceaseless movement

Lately, I’ve been reading about how systems emerge – like how ant colonies operate or how economies shift, or cultures rise and fall, or tumors grow – and I came across this quote: “Life is ceaseless movement; stability is found in balance, not rigidity.” * Whoa! Man, I love it when science and spirituality intersect.

Prior to the mid-1900s, we’d spent centuries breaking wholes down into their constituents. If you wanted to understand the human body, you needed to understand all its parts – the heart, lungs, organs, brain, skeleton, muscles, etc. Space? Planets and stars. The world around us? Species. Etc. And that was important work. But when the study of systems took off in the middle of the 20th century, we began to look at the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Seeing things as a whole, seeing things holistically, shifted the perspective; and that perspective worked in all kinds of ways and all kinds of worlds from the science lab to corporations to community planning to families.

Of course, neither way is the right way which is why I love that quote. “Life is ceaseless movement; stability is found in balance, not rigidity.” Maybe that’s why the world feels a little dangerous these days. We’re being too rigid. Maybe that’s why your relationship is feeling a bit stuck or wrong – too much rigidity and not enough balance. Apply it to your fitness routine, your diet, your feeling about work or friendships or love. Your feelings about yourself. About others.

Life is constantly unfolding. You are not done until you take your last breath. You are never finished growing. But you need to balance your interests, your choices, your beliefs. Forget all or nothing. Forget “I’ve mastered that.” Forget anything that makes you rigid.

Strive for balance.

*Notes on Complexity; A Scientific Theory of Connection, Consciousness, and Being by Neil These. © 2023, Spiegel & Grau. P.31.

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3/10/2025