Finding Balance in an Unbalanced World

I recently watched a PBS documentary on the cartoonist who created the beloved comic strip characters Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus and Lucy—the late Charles Schulz. The very intimate look into the artist’s life also revealed much about our unbalanced world.

According to the documentary, Schulz, who died in 2000, was so intensely focused on his work that it took over his life and ultimately caused the breakup of his marriage. The documentary revealed that, unlike his public image as the "gentle genius" who had his life together, he was a shy, conflicted and complicated man whose inner issues were echoed in the neurotic attributes of his beloved characters.

When serious illness threatened his life, he asked his closest colleagues: How could this happen to me? What went wrong?

I don’t believe anything went wrong in the universal sense. By denying the fact that the other side of being born is dying, we often fail to live a full and balanced life, and when our time comes we are often surprised and like Schulz, we may feel cheated.

While I can relate to the fact that many artistic people have a challenge with managing the creative energy and thus living a balanced life, living an out-of-balance life is the norm today, and everyone – to one degree or another – is over-extended, over-worked and overwhelmed.

What I am learning is that living a balanced life is a simple, but not easy daily process of staying in alignment with the basic human needs that give meaning to our lives.

The most basic human need is to have a body, which is necessary for life on Earth. How well we love and care for our body determines our current and future health, and this includes paying attention to the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of our physical being.

Humans also have a basic need to love and feel loved in return. This means we need to know our needs – and to communicate these needs to the significant others in our lives – as well as being aware of their needs. Families are the human laboratory where we are meant to learn how to healthfully love and be loved.

As humans, we want to make a difference in the world and to feel that what we do has meaning, that our life matters and that we are here for a purpose. To do this, we need to come to peace with the awareness that there is something greater than we are in the universe and we are an integral part of it. This places us as a vital element in the ongoing rhythm and stream of life, and brings a sense of inner peace.

In today’s world, society’s measure of a successful man or woman is still someone who has achieved fame and fortune. After their death, if they were famous enough to have a documentary aired about them, as Charles Schulz was, the story comes out. The public likes to see their fame and fortune role models served up in neat packages to confirm the myth that success in the external world is the path to lasting happiness. When it isn’t true, they probe the person’s life to seek answers.

While the conflict of continued disappointment with unfulfilled desires works in a comic strip, in real life it is supremely depressing. This is why we are pulling for dear old Charlie Brown to get to kick the football, for Lucy not to be rejected by Schroeder and for all of them to get to see the Great Pumpkin.

Despite or because of his human frailties, Charles Schulz was able to create an impressive body of work and touch many lives. Yet his lament also confirms the value in seeking a balanced life. Fulfilling our potential is a wonderful life goal. When we are in balance within ourselves, then we may be assured that our life will bless us and everyone involved. It will be a celebration of the gift of life—the true path to happiness.
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Copyright 2007 by Fern Stewart Welch

The author’s book THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY—How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within is available at Amazon.com and other online booksellers, as well as through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.