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Life is a series of decisions and considerations that lead one down a certain unique path. As humans, we think about the situations we’re in and react accordingly. In other words, we live through a cycle of thought and action.

I claim that most people are unbalanced with respect to this process. They either use too much thought or too much action. The former is well-illustrated by many historical philosophers, mathematicians, and physicists who made extraordinary advancements in theory, but lacked a fulfilling active life. The latter is best illustrated, I think, by the majority of contemporary Americans. As Americans, we are brought up learning the quickest way to overcome short-term hurdles and to advance ourselves in our capitalist society. I am immediately reminded of Orwell when I think back to my high school education and realize that we were “taught” to think critically and question the status quo, but at the same time we were controlled and subdued, leading toward the exact opposite: conformity. Doublethink is a tricky thing.

This method of quick bursts of action with little thought in order to gain the most ground in the short-term is a pristine example of an unbalanced thought-action process; obviously tipped in the direction of action. There are notable factors that preserve and contribute to this imbalance such as ignorance, intolerance, denial, and popular culture. Instead of promoting critical thinking, introspection, contemplation, and questioning, these widespread evils plague the population with more of the same and little possibility for a truly fulfilling life.

The best possible life consists of a balance between thought and action — something that must be worked at tirelessly and is realized only in the final moments of one’s life. Valuable pursuits and fruitful knowledge are byproducts of a well-balanced life, making it easier to create and flourish in one’s desired field.

Instead of practicing the capitalist consumer mantra, one should realize that it is possible to master subjects using passion, rather than greed, as fuel. Attempting to master a subject which one does not have passion for brings about imbalance (e.g. studying music “just because” for several years, when one does not have a passion for it) and pulls one away from — not toward — greatness. If everyone were to study his or her passion and master it, the world would be much more balanced due to the natural diversity of human interests. It should be said that this is only meant to deal with the arts and sciences — fields in which advancements can be made. The “no one wants to be a janitor” response doesn’t apply.

When one considers this optimal state of affairs in which each person pursues a true passion, one will understand that morality fits in nicely with the balance of thought and action. Instead of holy laws or ancient scrolls to dictate morality; contemplation, understanding, and experience would weave a moral fiber best suited to the population which it addresses. The beauty of harmonic systems is that they are self-regulating and adapt best to their own circumstances.

I have realized that a large difference between myself and most other people I’ve met is the amount of thought put into my decisions. I have always been one to plan and analyze before acting and I found that too much thought was just as harmful as too much action, so I’ve been striving toward the balance of thought and action ever since.