I appreciate the concept of balance when conceptualizing emotions, thank you. I was raised on “positive thinking” - not a terrible tool to have in my toolkit - but I twisted it into “always be positive,” which meant an intolerance for anything other than happy. Life is short, be happy, or so I thought. As if a lack of happiness was a failure to think about something in a more constructive manner or a propensity to dwell on sadness. I have paid dearly for this pattern, this core belief, and I am still learning how to experience and tolerate the full range of emotions. Balancing the positive and negative as outlined by The Middle Way relates well to emotional regulation and the tenets of DBT that have been helpful to me. Thanks again for sharing the wisdom of Buddhism on emotions.