Antonyms are found because life gives so many opposite options. A life well lived, selects a path that weaves in between antonyms.
Summary: The concept of balance, often referred to as following the middle path, is regarded as timeless wisdom. It is said that to achieve happiness and contentment, one should embrace the middle path. But where did this idea originate? The notion of balance may trace its roots to the earliest stages of life, with the emergence of self-replicating molecules. Over time, the principle of “survival of the fittest” evolved into the understanding that thriving requires an optimal fit with the environment — a realization that now aligns with the wisdom of the middle path.
The boundary conditions
The Earth was immersed in an ambient environment with specific characteristics, fueled by energy from the Sun. Within this setting, a “chemical soup” existed where countless chemical reactions were constantly occurring and being tested.
There was no design or designer guiding these chemical reactions or the emergence of complexity. Instead, progress was driven by trial and error, naturally favoring characteristics that proved advantageous in harnessing the available energy.
The beginning
Certain chemical reactions within the soup led to the formation of self-replicating molecules that efficiently utilized available resources. These molecules gradually developed greater complexity and organization.
This marked the onset of a competitive “arms race” for consuming the energy present in the environment. The self-replicating chemistry that thrived under ambient conditions laid the foundation for the concept of survival of the fittest.
Among these, the chemistries that excelled in energy utilization and replication gained a significant advantage, allowing them to proliferate.
From these pioneering self-replicating chemistries emerged the first cells, which developed intricate chemical processes to harness energy and eventually enclosed themselves within protective membranes.
At the cellular level, there was no inherent design or deliberate path to follow. Instead, under the prevailing environmental conditions, the chemical reactions most efficient at acquiring resources naturally thrived and proliferated.
Had consciousness existed at that time, these successful chemical pathways — supporting self-replicating molecules — might have been labeled as having the “mojo” or the “right balance.” But, of course, in that primordial era, there was no one to make such observations.
The concept of following a path of balance, therefore, originates from the context of chemical reactions occurring within an environment that gave rise to self-replicating molecules.
Similarly, a unique, but a different, concept of balance, shaped by environmental conditions, can be seen in the chemistry that evolved near hydrothermal vents or in the depths of the ocean — each adapting to its surroundings with its own distinct equilibrium.
The middle
Earth’s ambient conditions remained relatively stable, allowing successful cellular life forms to continue relying on the same chemical reactions and maintaining their established notion of balance.
Over time, increasingly advanced organisms evolved, all adhering to this enduring principle of balance that was first established.
However, if ambient conditions had changed, the original balance might no longer have been advantageous, prompting the evolution of a new equilibrium. Just as balance was achieved once before, chemical reactions would have inevitably adapted to establish another suitable harmony.
The arrival of humans
Evolution, driven by the principle of survival of the fittest, continued, and humans eventually emerged.
Along this evolutionary journey, the capacity for consciousness also developed.
Consciousness — The state of being aware of and responsive to one’s surroundings; a person’s awareness or perception of something; the fact of awareness by the mind of itself and the world (source Oxford Living Dictionary) — began to identify and name the elements that permeated the environment.
Consciousness also introduced a psychological dimension, presenting options such as attachment and detachment, independence and interconnectedness, between which choices had to be made. The right choices were those that improved the chances of survival and typically aligned with the middle path.
Religions emerged, each recognizing and emphasizing the virtue of following this middle path.
Conclusion
Thus, there is no inherent requirement for a first principle dictating that balance or the middle path must be followed.
From the human perspective, however, and without awareness of the underlying processes of evolution, the pervasiveness of balance often feels like the result of some fundamental principle.
Ciao, and thanks for reading.
