Gradient Theory

The Gradient Theory is really the nitty-gritty of how the Circle Theory of Health & Happiness works.  The circles don't just sit their on their lonesome in independent space as separate parts of a whole person.

Quite the contrary.

They are constantly expanding and contracting, changing intensity (bright or dim), changing shade (light or dark) and even changing relative position to one another depending upon what components an individual most directly connects with their self worth and identity.

The Gradient Theory is a way to describe the positive things happening in a person's life while recognizing the negative things without offering that either side works independently of the other.

This is not a new concept.  It is found throughout literature and science:

1) The Laws of Motion : for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction
2) Laws of Religion: Heaven & Hell, Good & Evil
3) Laws of Philosophy:  Yin & Yang, Chakras

The Gradient Theory, however, allows for a description of unequal opposites and how that inequality can affect seemingly unrelated circumstances in a person's life.

So here it is in application:

When we examine the Circles of Health & Happiness, we can see that the image is mostly

white.  This image shows an individual in perfect balance - a state which rarely occurs.


Further, this ideal situation shows each circle with only a sliver of each independent property, Physical, Spiritual, Material, Emotional, Social.

Normally, one or several of these properties would be much more full depending upon which life attribute a person focuses at any given moment.

Also, beyond the sliver of color, there is an even thinner covering of blackened space.  This black isn't merely the outer edge of a circle, but rather this covering represents the negative experience related to excess or neglect of a particular attribute.

If we were to take a cross section of one circle such that we could see the attribute as a straight image, it would look something like this:

Standard Material Gradient

Notice the colors overlap from dark to light.  This gradient can become more light or more dark depending upon how a person handles this attribute on a daily basis.  In this configuration, the outer pure black edge of the gradient represents a complete lack of stability or attention to this attribute.  The pure white edge represents complete fulfillment and stability to this attribute.  If all attributes are balanced in goodness, a greater amount of white shows through, and a person feels more energized, happier, and healthier.

More likely, however, our actions, or sometimes circumstances outside of our control force the energy, power, and attention of the gradient one direction or the other like this:

Unbalanced Material Gradient

The force, will, or environment of this individual is such that their energy is pushing outward toward the dark edge of the Material Circle.  This will either cause the circle to darken, giving the individual a poor impression of their Material Self, or it will cause this circle to expand, giving a person an unbalanced sense of self toward materialism because this expansion must be countered by contraction elsewhere as we will see in a minute.  This force in the negative direction is what creates an unbalanced Material Circle.

Balanced Material Gradient

A balanced Material Circle, on the other hand, involves an individuals attention and perception of their material self to be headed in a positive direction.  They are comfortable or becoming comfortable with their wealth, possessions, and material needs - a concept I go over in more detail in the description of the Material Circle of Self.

It would stand to reason, then, that the more effort we put into the positive of each circle, the more balanced and happier we would become.  But there's a catch.  The circles themselves are aligned in a circle.  Thus, we have the ability to put too much energy and thought into the positive of any particular attribute and this forces negativity in another.

 

Unbalanced Gradient Force

Negativity in any circle is going to have a similar result in that the individual holding the negative attribute will feel unbalanced, unhappy, and unhealthy.

Therefore, the gradients themselves require balance because too much negative is a bad thing, but so is too much positive.

Ideally, like the Laws of Motion, Laws of Religion, and Laws of Philosophy from earlier, positive and negative will be in a relative stasis with one another such that the positive in one attribute won't force another attribute to the negative and vice versa.

Balanced Force Gradient

In the above Balanced Force Gradient, the positive and negative effort of each individual attribute (in this case Material and Emotional Health) does not force either particular attribute into overly positive, but the aggregate of the two creates a wholly positive effect.

This is the essence of the Circle Theory of Health & Happiness.  Overactivity or underactivity in any given area will unbalance the whole, making the individual to feel less happy, healthy, and satisfied with their situation.  A person seeking health and happiness must "balance their balances," as it were, in order to feel complete and whole.