Too much of something

Just recently I read a saying in two different books on completely different subjects that said the very same thing. It was essentially about how things taken to excess turn into their opposite.

There definitely seems to be a lot of truth to this. For example, a healthy level of detachment taken to an extreme becomes dependance in the form of emotionally blocking others out, as one’s emotional state is still attached to those that they perceived as hurting them.

Thankfully, there are positive qualities of the opposite nature of whatever quality we can think of as well. This can be a huge saving grace in helping us temper and keep our approach to life in balance. As for the example above, a healthy level of connectedness would ensure that one could not hide from one’s hurts or feelings by detaching and displacing them onto others.

Incidentally, being too connected with others runs us the risk of losing our individuality, and thus robs us of our ability to give our unique gifts to the world. There is only one person who has the unique combination of skills and life experiences that you have had. Thus, a healthy level of detachment ensures that we maintain a baseline individuality, so that we may better serve the purpose that aligns with our natural abilities.

Although opposites seem contradictory at first, when integrated properly, they can make for much healthier and balanced approach to life.