Balance and the Good Life

My living group at the formation house (Marywood) is studying the book Monastic Practices by Charles Cummings, OCSO, and this past week we discussed the chapter on work. One observation Cummings made is that in Genesis, humans were given the responsibility to care for the earth and its creatures before the Fall—that is, work is not a punishment for sin, but it “belongs to the essential rhythm of a fully human life.”

I like the concept of rhythm when it comes to work. Because we often tend to base our self-esteem on the type of work we do and how much work we accomplish, it is easy to let our lives be driven by activism or workaholism. Monastic life attempts to counter this tendency by establishing a daily rhythm of prayer, sacred reading, work, shared life in community, and leisure. Once that rhythm becomes engrained in us, it becomes easier to notice when we are out of balance as a result of too much work or not enough leisure, for example.

Striving for balance can sometimes seem like a safe, boring practice. Doesn’t the intensity of pursuing one’s passion with singleminded determination get lost when you have to stop to pray or work or attend a community meeting? I don’t think so—not if we let our passion infuse every aspect of our life. Wisdom says that balance is key to the pursuit of the good life, as reflected in the words of Thomas Merton, who said, “Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm, and harmony.” That works for me!