The Perfectly Balanced Path publication

A scattershot introduction to the Perfectly Balanced Path publication.

The image is what my mandala/avatar from 1977 would have looked like if I had finished my philosophical investigations back then. More about that later. The words and symbols come from the mandala framework I call the Perfectly Balanced Path (PBP).

Global perspective

The primary content of this publication will be stories that illustrate a step or a stumble while walking the path of life and what aspects of living, what cultural associations are needed for balance when dealing with that stepping stone or stumbling block and a person’s path through life. Is this story about a cultural barrier overcome or perhaps of being defeated by a cultural ditch.

My own stories here will reflect the global perspective I gained from being “.. a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside their parents’ culture. The third culture kid builds relationships to all the cultures, while not having full ownership in any.”

Ruth Van Reken at TCKWorld: The Official Home of Third Culture Kids (TCKs)

The article at the link is not very long and was very much an eye opener for me in terms of why I never did seem to fit in very well no matter where I’ve been in the American lands. I still do things and say things that I sometimes realize is behavior I learned in Jakarta or Bangkok, those many years ago (1956–1964).

My hope is that each story in this publication will help define and stabilize the world culture that humanity will need to prosper past our current state of continual economic and live fire warfare.

The path of life

Every sentient being walks a path of life from first breath to last. For humans this is quite short. For some of the trees in my backyard, their path started long before I was born in will continue long past when I die. Interesting as it is to apply the PBP framework to animals and plants or even rocks, this publication will be mainly looking for stories about events related to some specific time and place. But a tree or rock story now and then will help give perspective.

The PBP framework

The Perfectly Balanced Path (PBP) is what I have named the taxonomy I have developed that provides a framework for stories from multiple cultures about walking the path of life. Each story published concerns a step along the path of life — maybe a happy stepping stone, or maybe a less than happy stumbling block. The name of this particular stepping stone or stumbling block would probably make a good title for the story; and a not too enigmatic “fortune cookie” that sums up the story could be a good subtitle.

Perfect Balance

Is impossible, of course, except in the sense that your current state of balance might be perfect for you at the time — getting passed out drunk is probably a good idea for most people, once. Most of the time a middle path works better. (Don’t moralize or preach too much. Let the story do that.)

A mandala is a diagram or drawing to help organize and understand one’s path through life. An avatar is mandala being used to help guide one along the next section of the path through life. The trick is to identify the things that need balancing using a vocabulary that works.

The PBP framework can be used to build a personal mandala and a personal avatar. The mandala is descriptive, the avatar is prescriptive. The example mandala/avatar image at the top was made years after the fact. And using the vocabulary that I’m currently working with rather than the words I used back then. I’ve been using sketches and word maps for many years, but I’d have to do a bunch of digging to see what kind of layouts and words I used back then. Your methods and techniques are welcome — as long as there’s a story first, :-).

Embellishment

Do decorate your story with appropriate “fortune cookie” type statements. I encourage you to make up your own cookie rather than finding a neat sounding quote. However, just for S&G, use a search engine on your cookie and if it turns out to be a quote or close to one, footnote it.

Truth, validity, and language

The primary language of this publication is English; when your story needs to use a concept not found in the English speaking world, don’t hesitate to toss in some cultural clues. For example, “cool heart” is a perfectly understandable English phrase; but in Thai, there is a whole cultural structure around the concept that is not part of the cultures whose native languages are English.

Where are you from?

“Where are you from?” is normally something more like “tell me where your heart is (so I can judge you by what I think of that place).” A story about walking a (reasonably) perfectly balanced path through life may depend on how somebody in the story would answer that question; but doesn’t have to.

Submissions guidelines

What stories are being looked for? True or reasonably true incidents when a person has overcome a (cultural) barrier; or been defeated by a (cultural) barrier. Plus, implicitly or explicitly, by what you learned, then or later.

Sometimes the barriers are emotional or physical or mental and might only imply a cultural barrier.

Does the story need to be significant? Or first person? No, it simply needs to be who, what, when, and where. Most stories that have that much imply hows and whys. Balance for the story is usually in the hows and whys. Always keep in mind the power of adjectives and adverbs at implying hows and whys.