Masao Miyoshi, reputed Japanologist wrote a book years ago called " Off Center". I liked the title I have shamelessly appripriated it for this post. The book I think was about non-mainstream perspectives on Japanese culture. My post however is all about harmony and the need for an anchor. Yoga and new agey fusionizing philosophies have all discussed this. Our need as people to find a focal point somewhere in our life or deep inside, where everything is in complete harmony. The yin and the yang working together, working well, so that even if the outward trappings of work or school or neighbors and friends are not always in sync, the inner harmonious voice will remain the voice of calm and peace.
What happens when this inner calm is shaken so hard, it feels as if all aspects of life is falling apart? We see evidence on TV daily of people behaving berserk, of families communities and countries developing cracks because their core belief that things will work out no longer seems credible. Chinua Achebe wrote a wonderful book "When Things Fall Apart" about change and its vicissitudes in an African family. I wish I had a quart of his skill to write about changes in an expat family, in a transplanted nomad existence where change is expected and mostly welcome, but harmony and balance is still crucial. As I battle through my feelings of fear and anger, I am trying to keep this inner balance, keep peace inside my head. The outside will calm down. But our inner calm, once shaken, takes much longer to settle down. For my sanity's sake I must fight to keep things on an even keel so that tomorrow, the world will look better.
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