Scales are usually symbolic in terms of the Scales of Justice; they are balance, equality, justice, and harmony. In terms of FISH, scales are likened to a suit of ARMOR, signifying protection. Umich.edu
There is the biblical reference :
Acts 9:18 NLT
[18] Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptised .
In the kitchen, scales are used for baking in particular, which requires the precision needed for exact quantities.
Any budding pianist who takes their craft seriously, would need to practice endless scales to lay the framework for the chance to succeed.
In my sad little world, scales have a meaning way beyond their specific function. As an object used for weighing purposes, they are the most obvious and most commonly used barometer of increased or decreased mass. For the human form, there are other ways to ascertain whether one has altered in size, namely if one’s clothes fit or not. This indicator makes it easier to fool the brain . “ I have just eaten therefore my belt is tight .” ” I must be carrying water and I’m feeling a bit bloated . ” ” My clothes must have shrunk in the wash .” One could equally attempt to use some of these excuses after weighing oneself but seeing an actual amount on a scale is much more difficult to deny.
What is it about this common household item that elicits such a plethora of emotions? From dread to relief ; anxiety to trepidation; awareness to denial – I experience all of these. For me, its a decidedly negative experience and yet I am drawn to it like a moth to a flame. I know someone who has thrown her scale out of the window, has removed the batteries from it and has requested that I hide mine from her when she has come to stay with me. Yet we are unable to ignore this instrument completely because one is often requested to step on the scale when visiting the doctor; having an X-ray or hospital procedure; filling in medical forms for insurance purposes or even if one simply wants to figure out how much daily protein is sufficient for one’s size and weight. As much as most people may dread ageing and embracing advancing years , yet perhaps the fear of knowing and accepting one’s weight is even more difficult to deal with, particularly I feel, with our female population. I don’t think that those who fret about being overweight and when on a diet weigh themselves often and avidly, could ever fully appreciate how much more significant scales are to those who suffer from anorexia. Yes, the dieter may feel either elation or disappointment but may not feel all the other emotions that the dread of gaining weight may evoke.
How I envy those who say they don’t know what they weigh, nor do they care. I wonder though if this is just bravado and that secretly, inside all of us, is the desire from time to time, to know what we weigh, if only to satisfy some curiosity about ourselves . I think that in all of us, is a quest to figure out who we are and where we stand in our journey though life. This includes a fascination with our genetic make up , our body and its failures or capabilities and that compelling desire to compare and weigh ourselves up against each other. Pun intended.
I will know that I have succeeded in changing when the scale no longer becomes the measure of my state of being. Where happiness, contentment and sense of purpose govern my thoughts and my life, the scale will cease to play a role of significance . Bring in on!
