Balance

Universal Balance

Universal Balance

This is a Liaden sociocultural concept. See also main page Liad — the sociocultural section: Liad#Sociocultural

Balance is a weighty Liaden concept.

“Kara joked about many Liaden customs, but not about necessity —- and never about Balance.”

The concept of Balance is ingrained in Liadens. Debits and credits are Balanced. Offenses, slights, and injuries are Balanced, but so too are kindnesses.

“I understand that you have already assisted me,” he replied, and bowed in acknowledgment of the debt.

"I cannot put my clan in debt for this rescue, I fear, but Chelada and I both See you, Vertu Dysan, and somewhere there will be Balance for your timely assistance."

Maintaining Balance with others keeps the universe in Balance. The ideal universe is in Balance:

“I have work, and purpose. I can, alive, improve the universe in some few small ways, and therefore bring it closer to the ideal of Balance." ​

“The theory is that the two identical losses will cancel each other out,” Natesa said in her cool voice. “And thus the universe will be returned to Balance.. .It is a social geometry that is very important to Liadens. Universal Balance is at the heart of their culture.”

Always, the goal is to restore the universe to Balance by restoring Balance between individuals, or clans.

"I have given offense," he murmured, taking his hand away. "My intention was— far otherwise, Anne. Please. What must I do to bring us back into Balance?"

By Code

Kareen yos'Phelium has a scholar’s understanding of Balance, as she does of The Liaden Code of Proper Conduct. Balance is detailed in The Code:

Balance is a matter of Code, with legal weight, but only owed to those whose names are listed in The Book of Clans:

My mother died at the hand of a High Port lord. She had no book nor no other high friends to call in her debt, and the lord himself said the thing was outside of lawful Balance, for she had no Name to protect her.”

Balance must be maintained in all things. Debts must be paid promptly and in full. - From the Liaden Code of Proper Conduct

".. .the Code being explicit upon this point. By the act of sending this book, Fal Den had chosen the executor of his will. He, Pat Rin yos’Phelium, was to tend all accounts left unBalanced at the time of Fal Den’s death, paying justly where the fault had been Fal Den’s; collecting fully where the debt was owed. No light task; this, nor deniable. And he had precisely thirty-six hours in which to complete it, assuming that all debts were on-planet. ..”

the phrase the Code demanded of those who held this particular death-duty: “Balance has been served—and preserved.”

“The Code quite clearly states that, in matters of life-Balance, the wishes of the Balancer are secondary to the wishes honorably imputed to his dead.”

"In the case of a clan's loss of an individual member through the actions of a person unrelated to the clan, Balance-payment is hereby set forth. Such payment weighs equally the occupation, age, and clan-standing of the individual who has been lost. The attached chart shall henceforth be the standard by which all clans shall compute such Balance-payment." —From the Charter of the Council of Clans, Fifth Amended Edition

“Balance by Code,” Val Con told him, “is not an option.”

Debt Books, etc

Record keeping is key. Debt books and diaries tell the stories of Balance. A debt book is kept to ensure that all debts are Balanced, and in the event of sudden death, by another

"I will delineate the Balance that must go forth, and the reasons for its going forth. I will put down, as best as I am able, those things from other log books and diaries that may illuminate my actions and necessities.. . On the planet Teriste, in Standard Year 1392, Day 286, a messenger of the Department of the Interior brought me word that the entirety of my kin were killed— murdered by agents of this Department. I will herein name the names of my kin, lest they are forgot, and I will say to you, whoever and whenever you may be, that it is only I, Pat Rin, the least of us all, who is left now to carry Balance to fruition . . ."

“Breath’s Duty— notify my clan of our enemy— I have three hours of air, heavy pursuit and no Jump left. Tell Grenada I forgive the counterchance debts. Notify my clan of Balance due these…

Revenge & Forgiveness

One can forgive and still seek Balance, striving always to keep the universe Balanced. Sometimes, forgiveness is impossible. At those times, Balance and revenge may be indistinguishable.

“Liadens don't in general say that they're sorry. It's an admission of guilt, you see. Asking forgiveness acknowledges the other person's right to feel slighted, hurt, or offended without endangering your right to act as you find necessary."

"Forgive my hapless tongue, old friend. I regret having caused you pain."

“Among Liadens, revenge is something of an art form. There are strict rules. There are certain punishments which are not considered proper revenge." He glanced at her. "Death, for instance. At least, not directly from the hand of the vengeful party. Should the dishonor attending a balancing of accounts prove so vast that one has no other choice—"

"There are, as I mentioned before, many rules governing revenge— Balance— and how it might be achieved. One of them is that Balance is only owing respected persons. Animals, for instance, may not claim debt-right."

Children & Balance

Children receive a practice debt book at age 12 and begin to keep records in earnest at age 14  

"Children -- little children -- were understood to stand within the melant'i of their clan.  Their own melant'i was. . .flexible and open, and very specifically did not pursue Balance.  It was tradition, to give a child upon their twelfth Name Day a Small Debt Book, in which entries were made by the child, and reviewed with a clan elder.  On the fourteenth Name Day, a private Debt Book was given, and it was considered at that point that the child was competent to take up the keeping of their own melant'i, and Balances."

Quotes & Excerpts

“Dramliza, you fool! Will you play Balance games against a wizard?”

Breath’s duty is to keep the Balance told

“Happily, I’m set to Balance the life of a meticulous man”

The last of those who had hand in Eba yos'Phelium's capture and shaming seven years ago is dead. Balance achieved. —Daav yos'Phelium, Sixth Delm of Korval Entry in the Delm's Diary for Trianna Seconday in the Fourth Relumma of the Year named Sandir

“Have you heard the tales of Korval's past Balances? They are true- every one!”

“My entire line is gone, damn you!” the Liaden shouted. “Will you take what I offer and use it well, or must my Balance fall short of my dead?”

““I salute you, Master bel’Tarda; it is a fine Balance! And a shipload of talebearers to carry it!”

Terrans & Balance

Excerpted from A Terran Guide to Balance:

"Any slight —no matter how small— requires balancing, lest the value of one's melant'i be lessened. Balance is an important, and intricate, part of Liaden culture, with the severity of rebuttal figured individually by each debt-partner, in accordance with his or her own melant'i. For instance, one Liaden might balance an insult by demanding you surrender your dessert to him at a society dinner, whereas another individual might calculate balance of that same insult to require a death. Balance-death is, admittedly, rare. But it is best always to speak softly, bow low and never give a Liaden cause to think he has been slighted."

Terrans do not teach their young the concept of Universal Balance, as such, but they might well notice the difference between a Liaden acting to achieve Balance versus an act of revenge:

“What I heard was rage and black bitterness.  The folks wrote this thing wanted revenge, not Balance."

Terran concept of a treat:

“Treat” was a Terran concept, roughly translating into “a gift freely given,” with no Balance attending.

Theoretical Speech

(This speech is not canonical; see comments)

Balance. When we are young, we think the balance is a simple matter, trading tweaks of fingers or blows on the arm -- a stone for a stone, a scar for a scar. Weighing matters in a moral scale, trying to make wrongs received equal wrongs given out.

But one day, we stop and consider. Even on this mechanical balancing the scales, suppose that someone tosses a kindness, a gentle act, something good into the balance pans? Does not such a call for at least a matching action from the debt partner?

Thus we see that not only ill, but also good, demands balance. And in the ongoing great balancing, does a good act returned for ill not cause the balance arm to tilt? Of course it does.

So simply, yet obviously, we move from the easy balancing of wrongs that children indulge in daily beyond, to a more complex world where we can return ill for ill, or we may overturn the balance and return good for ill, starting a chain of good for good balance that builds and builds.

The symbol of balance, the venerable triangle, represented by the three-cornered table, stands underneath the balance pans of life, an objective judge that so easily shows us which side has offered the most weight.

And then, above and beyond the balance pans of mere moral value, we may consider for a moment whether an act not done may not also cause ill? Is it not obvious, for example, that not taking simple precautions may cause great distress? And having thought of such necessities, does not balance call us not merely to react to whatever good and bad may come our way, but to act positively and decisively as we judge best every day, every moment?

Balance. Not just the simple ledgers of childhood, keeping track of youthful trades and indulgences and infractions, but a dynamic principle that drives us to engage with each other and with life!

That, my friends, is what a few moments of thought about balance can lead to. You will spend years studying the ins and outs, the history and methods of trade, of business as it has come down to us. You will groan at the details of that learning, and yet remember -- behind and above it all, you are studying balance, and there is no better study for Liadens than that.

Speech given by the Dean of the Graduate School of Business and Trade to incoming freshmen, Chonselta Technical College.