Balance is Everything! INTRO: I was in my mid-twenties and I was spiritually adrift. In a world capable of endless pain and suffering my childhood taught worldview was collapsing. On a grief-stricken planet my supernatural based truths no longer had meaning. My heart was troubled, bewildered, and empty. I had lost my way and my life was hanging in the balance. MAIN THEME: I required a new path forward and a new way to view the world. The impetus for my investigative journey only came after I understood Rene Descartes' advice that, "at least once in your life you doubt as far as possible all things," and a Shakesperean line, "what is past is prologue." I challenged myself by asking, "am I going to allow myself to remain impris- oned to childhood conditioning?" My answer was "no." I mustered up the courage to dare-to-doubt and to embark on a heavy-hearted out-of-sorrow mission to discover Who am I?, What am I?, and my place in the world. I sought a worldview that could repeal-and-replace an outdated worldview based on fear and superstition. I desired a worldview storyline that could reasonably bring order out of disorder, encompass a beginning of time an ending of time, accommodate living accommodate dying, and could give me some understanding of why so much pain and suffering exists in our world. CONTENT: My tour de force journey entailed unrelenting years of research, study, and reflection. My initially self-focused autobiographical sojourner journey evolved into the Theory of Balanceology -- the study of living a balance-centered life. My new worldview theoretical position endorses the time-honored physiological, biological, psychological, and philosophical insight that Nature always seeks balance. Balance became my centerpiece idea that the world has natural patterns of order that aim to be maintained, and natural patterns of human inborn needs that aim to be satisfied, and together can bring stability, harmony, and contentment to one's life. This writing's content endeavors to present, define, detail, and defend a theoretical and therapeutic worldview proposition advocating for the Big Idea that "Balance is Everything: " i. e. a life-in-balance is one living-in-balance. AUDIENCE: This worldview paradigm gravitates towards those readers who are spiritually, philosophically, and psychologi- cally inclined and can imagine the existence of worldviews beyond their own. It is directed at those curious individuals not of- fended by alternative worldviews, but actually seek to learn about nontraditional and even controversial ways to view the world. It is aimed at those adventurous truth-seekers disposed to ponder lives many paradoxes, fearlessly question absolutes, and possess a healthy skepticism + open-mindedness. I admire those courageous people unconcerned about being politically correct or living by social expectations. This writing is steered towards those readers who actively desire having an emotional, psychological, spir- itual, and ethical "workout." This unconventional and nonconformist model heavily criticizes certain cultural and religious sa- cred cows, and because of that I have prepared myself for an assured retaliation and heated backlash from some readers. BENEFITS: What will the reader gain by reading this writing? -The reader is presented with a nontraditional theoretical and therapeutic paradigm to view the world. -The reader is challenged to review your current ideas, values, beliefs, and worldview. -The reader is encouraged to initiate your own investigative journey, and to construct a worldview that has meaning for you. -The reader is given a textbook of educational content that transition into a workbook of experiential exercises. -The reader is invited to adapt ideas from this writing that make sense to you, but not to completely adopt them i. e. create your own ideas and build a worldview that works for you.
About the Author: The Author Al Johnson holds a PhD in behavioral health counseling from the University of North Dakota. Dr. Johnson is a professionally licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) and a licensed clinical addiction counselor (LCAC). He has over twelve years work experience at various educational levels and settings. Dr. Johnson has many years of direct clinical experience with clients and patients. He has twenty-five years of experience in managing various be- havioral health programs in outpatient, partial hospitalization, residential, and psychiatric inpatient settings. Dr. Johnson's areas of expertise are in mental and behavioral health treatment, addictive and compulsive behaviors, and the components that provide for a quality education. He has interests in writing, consultation, train- ing, and the presentation of interactive workshops. Over the last 15-20 years, Dr. Johnson has increasingly devel- oped a fascination with the study of the history, philosophy, psychology and a spirituality that emanates from the natural world. He has a profound respect for the brilliance of Nature, and in understanding the complexities of human nature. Dr. Johnson has devoted efforts to explore and get a better understanding of his experiences emer- ging from Nature, human nature, and his own nature. His energy has focused on building a theoretical naturalistic needs-based model that inspires hope. That is, a therapeutic practical model aimed at developing the personal and interpersonal change factors it requires for self-evolutionary growth and balance-centered living.