To live in balance

[quitter333]

People sometimes struggle with their work, family life and relaxation. There's always not enough money, not enough love, not enough stressless relaxation.

We are often taught that balance is so very important, but what if our gut feeling says - "stop working, procrastinate a little", or "stop sleeping, get to work!"? We are often in this struggle to find balance.

Don't YOU sometimes have this thought that you should just leave everything behind and live in a forest. Or at least just go to Hawaii, forget your work and struggles with friends and become a nameless bartender and live happily ever after?

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I was watching a really interesting animated movie "Fantastic Mr. Fox", which tells a story about a Fox dad, who has been a great chicken thief, but due to his growing family, he has quit his old ways, settled down, lives peacefully with his wife and children.

Mr Fox is a gentelman, leader, and, as he says "a wild animal", therefore home life constantly bugs him deep inside.

Throughout the movie, of course, he returns to his old ways just one last time, many forest animals are endangered because of it, and they have to encounter angered farmers.

Mr Fox has an interesting trait - he is afraid of wolves. Well, not a afraid, he "has a phobia of them".

Mr Fox and his friends eventually get an upper hand in their struggle, and while now living in sewers, find a way to survive in prosperity. Mr Fox has fought harder than ever to ensure his family is ok.

During one scene they meet the mysterious wolf. It is seen in the distance. Wolves, aside from all other animals in the movie, are representatives of wilderness. They are not clothed, they do not comprehend animals.

Mr Fox tries to talk to it, but the wolf does not understand it. They greet each other with "good fighting!" fist in the air, because that's the only way they can communicate, and the wolf leaves. Mr Fox states that "He is no longer afraid of wolves"

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It was a beautiful allegory - Mr Fox, despite his humanoid attire and home life desires to be wild and untamed like wolves, but at the same time fears it.

After having their battle with farmers, Mr Fox meets the wolf / wilderness and realizes that he is not wild at all. He is part of the life he lives in - human/suburban critter. He has family and home. He realizes he cannot be who he is not.

He then greets the wolf and departs to aid his family and friends.

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This movie made me think about my own thoughts. I have also sometimes thought that I could just say "fuck it!" and go live somewhere almost like a hermit. or a criminal. Just do whatever I want and not care about anything. This little movie made me rethink do I really wish that. Is my best path being just careless do-what-i-want?.

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I thought about wise words that were said by my father. He is a hunter, he loves nature, but he also loves hunting, the wilderness. While at work he feels great, he leads small groups of people and is like a teacher to them.

He said "see, at work I am the leader, in the hunter's house I let my friends take the lead, that's how I can just follow orders and relax, and in the forest I am alone with the elements".

My father enjoys careers. I am a businessman. We actually differ a lot in views of how life should be lived.

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But I realized my father has done has done it. He has found the balance. He is like Mr Fox in the city, and he puts his wolf pelt on his shoulders and is the wolf in the forest. He has found that rare balance in life that many struggle with. He has done the impossible and learned to speak both languages - that of wild and that of civilization. It got me a little teary-eyed.

That day my respect to my folks grew tenfold.