“Are you a good witch or a bad witch?”

Pink glitter ruffles and smiles are great. They create plenty of aesthetic positivity and a positive outlook can mend wounds and sometimes leads to brighter futures, but humans can’t always exist on the “good” or “bad” side of anything.

In order to live well-rounded, happy, healthy, fulfilling lives we must be balanced. This means sometimes we will be at our worst and that’s okay. It means that instead of making excuses for our darker side we need to mix it with the light and come together in a harmonious marriage of vibrancy.

In a world of over seven-billion people, we all come from numerous backgrounds. The paths lay before us sprawled out in a million different directions. Anyone can be a friend or a foe, but it’s difficult to know how to determine the true friends from the monsters who use and abuse us.

Sifting our way through granules of experience takes time. That’s why children need stability and close protective families or friends who not only look out for them but also teach them how to protect themselves to prepare for the tragedies that occur in everyone’s life.

Not all of us are lucky enough to have parents who properly care for us. Many people suffer from the beginning of their lives, but no matter where we begin, we can gain more control over ourselves if we become self-aware and learn the art of balance.

Balance heals all ills. From the common cold to global issues in the environment and politics, extremism is the un-approached disease that blocks us from helping each other to balance ourselves, our communities, our countries, and the world.

On a global scale it is a lot to ask. At home it is trying and requires a lot of work, but is not only attainable; it is the solution to every problem.

Individually, what we consume determines how we connect to the world around us. What we eat, think, expose ourselves to, and do sets the tone for everything we experience. Food is fuel. Eating only junk leads to illnesses and deficiencies the body cannot cope with over a long time-frame. The immune system grows weak when not properly maintained with fresh fruits and vegetables that provide a vast array of vitamins and minerals. Thus heart disease is the number one killer in western culture. It’s not car accidents, gun violence, or natural disasters, but heart disease, and all the complications that involve obesity and a lack of healthy eating habits. Processed foods, convenience, poverty, and marketing all play a part in this.

There is nothing wrong with a treat once-in-a-while. Strict diets that refuse any kind of sweet or salty snack often fail. Children raised in no candy zones never learn self-control. Once they are old enough to live on their own, impulses from a lack of proper balance can lead to over-indulging.

Finding the middle-ground takes work. There will be successes and failures, but we have become a culture of consumerism that feeds off of impulses. In order to combat that unnecessary frivolity self-control must be developed, practiced, and appreciated.

Exercising the limbs and core is also a must. Muscles need flexing. Ligaments have to be stretched. Without consistent movement the body becomes a stale mass of atrophies.

Yet again, if a body is always being over worked it will break down. Tears and long-term damage occur when a person bears too much than they can physically handle. It is not enough to absorb the proper nutrients; we must also find the best exercises for our build and stature. Being conscious of the aches and pains that develop during certain routines will direct anyone. Pain has a purpose. It is meant to tell those who listen what to do next. Sometimes that means more stretching, or muscle building. Others it clearly presents the necessity for rest and relaxation.

When the body is properly fueled and utilized, the mind is freer. Addictions to food, drink, substances, and activities hold back the higher senses. Support groups, medical aid, and individual practices work. They take time, but are designed to overcome the many temptations that seduce our greater sense-of-purpose.

Once the mind is no longer anchored to physical wants, feeding it is just as important. Education is a never ending process. No one is every too learned to live as a student. Life is a constant series of lessons tailor-made to fit the ages and stages of every aspect of existence.

Feeding the mind the proper nutrients is as important as fueling the body. There are so many artistic and corporate media influences increasingly attacking the world each day that many messages get lost in the flood. Marketing ploys and ads are everywhere. It is nearly impossible to escape these outside influences. Some have important messages, where most pander to corporatocracy and push for more impulsive spending habits.

Consciously deciding to carefully choose which books to read, what songs to listen to, what movies to watch, what artists to support and how to incorporate critical thought into this consumption opens minds to a full experience instead of melding it all together as background noise that subconsciously drives brain activity without honest control.

Actions have the most impact on a person. Anyone can state a thought, but it takes more to make it become reality. How we behave matters. No matter what a person believes or where they come from the only thing they can control in life are their actions and their reactions.

Instead of being concerned about every movement, one must find the perfect balance between doing what is best for them while also paying enough attention to others that they do not infringe on the natural rights that all creatures deserve. Caring too much leads toward potential emotional distress while not being conscious enough of one’s actions is too often destructive.

Working to find that special mixture is not about perfection. It is like a scale that tips and sometimes achieves the proper weight at each end. The effort is what matters, not the outcome. Context. Intent. These concepts are crucial to proper communication within one being and outside.

One cannot control everything that goes on outside of their limits. Communities of people have prospered and suffered. What makes them thrive is a collective understanding of each other’s rights and their ability to work together regardless of what they do and don’t agree on.

Charities and small businesses are directly linked to one’s individual prosperity. In times of great poverty it is the local organizations that first respond. Larger ruling entities have more boundaries, more lines to cross and cannot easily assess simple situations due to the complexity of their nature.

When small, community based programs and businesses thrive, so do the people. They are the life-blood of society. In order to maintain communal balance one must be in balance individuality and also work to balance their specific needs and wants with those of the people living and working near them.

Volunteer work is one of the most fulfilling balancing acts a society can have. It gifts the young experience they need to grow into successful adults, it gives middle aged community members a stronger sense of pride in themselves and those around them, and it reminds our elders how important their lives are to us.

Supporting, working for, or running a small business is another avenue that provides a well-rounded role in one’s community. Anyone can help. Everyone can stop into a local shop and find something to buy or a role for themselves within these precious places.

Box stores and food chains are everywhere. They are easy to get in and out of for cheap, but the price we pay when refusing to budget a little more for goods that directly connect us to our community is a lack of depth and meaning. It is selfish. It is tiring. We lose a piece of our culture when we sell ourselves to giant entities without question.

The bigger picture is often confusing. Balancing what is best for ourselves and our communities must link to the needs of our country. In the U.S. big businesses do not all have a negative impact. Some uphold admirable policies and funnel many jobs and opportunities into the economy.

It is up to us to do our research and look into where we spend our time and money. Supporting the big businesses that reflect the ideals and practices one most identifies with is necessary. We must keep that in mind when going out.

If time is money then money reflects our hard work. What are we trading that for? Is it truly worth it?

If major businesses thrive off of sales and growth, then how they present themselves to the public and in politics is also important. Even with the current population, our choices matter. Each dollar is, in essence, a vote (as the saying goes). If our expenses reflected our ideologies, would they reflect the politics we wish to portray?

We are what we buy. We have grown accustomed to waste and therefore waste our time and our lives on things that will not matter when we reach the end of our journey here.

As a country of people, Americans in general are imbalanced. We fight over left and right without compromise. We have forgotten how to come together. We have been pitted against each other for the benefit of other imbalanced individuals and entities that feed off of our frustrations.

The media sensationalizes every story, the mainstream entertainment industry has been deconstructed to nothing more than a propaganda machine, and the education system─which has been struggling for years now─is continuously failing students.

Thankfully no one is ever too far from the beam. Anyone at any age, stage, or moment can turn, adjust, and obtain balance. Anyone.

It takes time, patience, and a strong-will. The ability to accept that we cannot control everything is also helpful. We must work to fix what can be repaired and discard what is too harmful to reconcile.

When looking at the world as a whole, the idea of everything working together in harmony after over a century or more of extremism can sound impossible. It is not. Humanity has lived at peace with nature and its order for much longer than we have not.

Our history is filled with disruptions, destruction, pain, and countless horrors, but the balance to that are the stories that are glossed over in modern history books: tales of those who worked to mend our ills, neighbors who helped others in their community during trying times, parents tending children, charities working to provide food and clothing and shelter to the needy, people who fought to end vicious practices or nursed the sick through great plagues and disasters. On the whole, the current era is the most prosperous and peaceful time in recorded history, but we face many rising challenges: deforestation, pollution in the air, ground, and bodies of water, obesity in one country while others starve elsewhere. War. Human rights violations. These imbalances continue. They are problems that will not wait to be solved forever.

Global issues are connected to national, regional, and local issues. They start with each and every person and end with all of us. No single human should have to bear the brunt of it. Guilt and placing blame solve nothing.

The only way to attain balance on a global scale is through understanding, education, and collective action. When we work together we find new solutions. A single brilliant mind can devise an idea but it takes a team to transform ideas into reality.

Globalism is best served in slices. One ruling body cannot properly serve nearly eight billion people. Each country must protect and preserve its culture while respectfully communicating with other countries. Each community must serve its people while achieving success within the country’s system. Each person has to build the life that is best for them while also being conscious of their neighbors and the benefits of their specific community.

It has never been more important to practice self-control, discipline, and self-awareness. Our connection to ourselves, others, and the world around us is dependent upon it. When a person balances themselves and their lives they can help balance their communities, which aids in balancing their country, and even, the world.