not just right
Cindness KULT
*✧The answer is always kindness. (not a cult btw)✧*
The Importance of Balance: Structure, Creation, and Dynamic Equilibrium
Mental health isn't a destination. It's a continuous, creative process of balancing two core forces.
Structure
The foundation of our home. Structure provides safety, order, and predictability, like the walls and roof that keep us secure.
Creation
The life within our home. Creation is our power to grow, adapt, and make a space our own, like tending to a garden.
When the Scale Tips: Understanding Imbalance
Psychological distress often arises from a deep imbalance between these two forces.
The Pull of Imbalance
An over-reliance on one force creates a strong pull towards certain states of being.
Oscillation Between Extremes
Some conditions, like Bipolar Disorder, can be seen as a violent swing between the two poles.
Finding Your Authentic Self
Balance leads to Congruence, where your actions align with your true self.
Congruence: A Harmony of Being
Psychologist Carl Rogers spoke of Congruence as a state where our actions and experiences (Creation) are in harmony with our core self and values (Structure). It’s when the garden we cultivate reflects the home we've built. It feels genuine and true.
When out of balance, we feel Incongruence. This is the dissonance between who we are and what we do.
The World We Live In: Society's Balancing Act
This internal balance is deeply affected by the cultural structures around us.
How We Cope: Internalizers vs. Externalizers
Internalizer
Asks: "Is my house built wrong?"
Often emerges from rigid cultures where not fitting the mold is seen as a personal failure.
Externalizer
Asks: "Why is everyone else's house so bad?"
Thrives in cultures that reward selfishness, blame, and a lack of accountability.
The Impact of Cultural Structures
Different societal "environments" foster different coping styles.
Rigid Cultures
Strongly foster Internalizers
Supportive Cultures
Promote balance and authenticity
Selfish Cultures
Strongly foster Externalizers
A Path Forward: Building a More Balanced World
Creating a healthier world requires conscious work on both individual and societal levels.
Learn Each Other's Language
Create a culture of belonging by appreciating different ways of thinking and communicating, lifting the burden on neurodivergent individuals to always "fit in."
Change What We Celebrate
Shift our values from celebrating the hoarding of wealth and power to celebrating cooperation, community, and compassion as the highest forms of success.
Raise a Wiser Generation
Make clarity, kindness, and critical thinking the cornerstones of education to build a "mental immune system" against manipulation and division.