Balance and Personality: What Imbalance Teaches Us
When someone is suddenly struck by the loss of hearing or balance, it shakes the very foundation of daily life. Recent news about a well-known television personality being sidelined by an inner ear disorder raises a deeper question: what does it truly mean to be in balance? And what does the moment we lose that balance reveal about who we really are? From a Masonic perspective, equilibrium is far more than a physical condition — it is a symbolic cornerstone for the development of character and personality. The Level as a Mirror of the Self In Freemasonry, the level is one of the most essential working tools. This simple instrument, which indicates the horizontal plane, points toward the necessity of equality and balance in human conduct. But the level is more than a moral compass for how we treat others. It also directs our gaze inward, toward the equilibrium each person must cultivate within themselves. When physical balance suddenly fails — as with disorders of the inner ear — the fragility of that inner stability becomes painfully visible. Aristotle wrote about the golden mean as the ideal for a virtuous life. Not the extreme, but the middle path leads to […]