Balance refers to a state in which opposing forces harmonise; equilibrium. It commonly describes mental equilibrium; mental health; calmness, a state of remaining clear-headed and unperturbed, something of equal weight used to provide equilibrium; counterweight, and a pair of scales, which gives the term a broader and more practical sense than a single short definition would suggest. Depending on context, it can also point to awareness of both viewpoints or matters; neutrality; rationality; objectivity, the overall result of conflicting forces, opinions etc.; the influence which ultimately "weighs" more than others, and apparent harmony in art (between differing colours, sounds, etc.), so the category can cover literal uses, related ideas, and more figurative extensions of the same core meaning. Taken together, these meanings present Balance as a flexible theme rather than a narrowly technical label, covering the central idea people usually mean when they use the word while still leaving room for closely related senses that appear in real language. Additional shades of meaning include a list accounting for the debits on one side, and for the credits on the other, the result of such a procedure; the difference between credit and debit of an account, a device used to regulate the speed of a watch, clock etc, the remainder, and libra, which reinforce how the category can stretch across adjacent but still recognizable uses of the same term.
