Balanced on a Pinhead, and Making Progress

 This morning I walked with a friend on yard as he stopped every couple of laps for a set of leg lifts. We talked about school assignments, about voluntary writing projects, and about how we are growing and maturing in different areas of our lives.

One class we have both taken, especially, has influenced our intentional practice of spiritual disciplines. As we discussed this class and the disciplines we chose as our focus, our conversation shifted into the concept of balance. 

You would think that with all the free time prison affords us that we would find it rather easy to find balance in our lives. But that is simply not the case. Human nature causes us to focus on things that are easy or give us the most pleasure. Some prisoners find that pleasure or ease through working out. Exercise is good for the body and mind, and it helps to pass the time that weighs so heavily on prisoners. It also emphasizes health in a place with little concern for prisoner health. But exercising the body without exercising the mind and spirit leaves one unbalanced. 

Other prisoners, often in an effort to assuage their minds from the guilt they feel over their crimes and the resulting consequences, steep themselves in spirituality or religion. They spend inordinate amounts of time reading the Bible or Quran, praying, involving themselves in group studies, and "discussing" (often arguing) religious points with others. Some also become obsessed with fasting, giving away their possessions, leading religious communities, and collecting and reading religious literature. But exercising the spirit without exercising the mind and body leaves one unbalanced. 

Still more prisoners find validation in the exercise of their minds. They read voraciously, study subjects they find fascinating, and become "experts" in some subjects. Some of these prisoners are highly creative and throw themselves into creative endeavors, such as painting, poetry, music, craft projects, educational pursuits, and inventing. Becoming an "expert" at something in prison has a way of enhancing self-worth and boosting ego. It helps to diminish the sense of worthlessness and purposelessness associated with incarceration. But exercising the mind without exercising the body and spirit leaves one unbalanced. 

A balanced life places the proper amount of emphasis on each of these dimensions of our lives. Exercising the body and focusing on healthy living builds self-respect, diminishes addictive urges, and encourages hope for the future. Spiritual exercise reverences our Creator, encourages moral living, gives us purpose and meaning, and builds foundations for healthy human relationships. Finally, mental exercise broadens the mind, opening up a world of possibilities. It also prepares people for what comes after prison--employment, civic duty, and community engagement. 

Living a balanced life is difficult, whether in prison or out. But if prisoners can learn to balance their lives while incarcerated, they'll more likely maintain that balance after prison. Living a balanced life is like balancing on a pinhead--it requires constant, small adjustments. But like anything else, practice makes easier (not perfect as the idiom goes). As Alcoholics Anonymous teaches, progress, not perfection, is the goal.