Yin Yang
I really hate to label things.
I notice it often...there is always a kind of duality in the events of life. If I slow myself down, very much so to even the physiological level of breathing and brain waves, I seem to encounter a moment that freezes where I ask myself a question such as why?
So I want to understand why I would ever be upset when commuting or sitting in traffic. And I want to understand how the kids I nanny feel about their lives. And I want to understand the person standing in front of me telling me something. Why are they talking to me about this particular subject? It's not just the words from their mouth but their body language and tone of voice. It's the fact that they have chosen to talk to me about this subject at this time. Maybe it is nothing more than their own nervousness or need for validation. Maybe they are trying to connect on a deeper level and this requires a different level of attention. Maybe I am assuming that I should change my energy and attention based on the interaction...maybe I shouldn't react but instead allow my response to flow from within. I am not sure about this one.
But the duality. I can feel that. I can feel the moment I make a choice to call something good or bad that I am labeling it and storing it away, deep in the trenches of my mind, so that the next time I encounter the same thing I will already have an answer prepared. In practical terms it can be helpful to give some labels. It helps me navigate through my day more efficiently. I need to stay on time, I need to get a certain task done, and I need to communicate certain things to others. But what am I missing by the automatic labels? The more I ask why the more I realize how much of life I simply breeze through, as though what is a tree has already taught me everything I need to know and I will never again benefit from wondering about the magnificence of a tree.
My concern is always that in labeling anything I then close my mind to all other alternatives. And this is clearly a bad thing in some circumstances. I cannot stand to wander this earth closed-minded, else I am really just naming everything and reflecting my own insecurities and education and opinions instead of listening and absorbing, like a child, the world around me. Because there is the adult that must make decisions but there is always that child within that wishes to see the world with new eyes. Within the decision to not create labels I effectively tell the universe that I realize I am not always in charge. Sometimes I only need observe. On the other hand, there are times when it seems that to do the right thing I must provide judgement and be active in it. Now when to tell the difference...
People have wondered this for thousands of years. The Taoism spoke of Yin and Yang. When something is whole, it is by definition complete. When you split something in half you create a dualism which we find in many aspects of our lives (day and night). These dualities, which are fluid and always changing, can together form a whole.
I suspect the time of judgement is limited while the time of living is abundant.
I notice it often...there is always a kind of duality in the events of life. If I slow myself down, very much so to even the physiological level of breathing and brain waves, I seem to encounter a moment that freezes where I ask myself a question such as why?
So I want to understand why I would ever be upset when commuting or sitting in traffic. And I want to understand how the kids I nanny feel about their lives. And I want to understand the person standing in front of me telling me something. Why are they talking to me about this particular subject? It's not just the words from their mouth but their body language and tone of voice. It's the fact that they have chosen to talk to me about this subject at this time. Maybe it is nothing more than their own nervousness or need for validation. Maybe they are trying to connect on a deeper level and this requires a different level of attention. Maybe I am assuming that I should change my energy and attention based on the interaction...maybe I shouldn't react but instead allow my response to flow from within. I am not sure about this one.
But the duality. I can feel that. I can feel the moment I make a choice to call something good or bad that I am labeling it and storing it away, deep in the trenches of my mind, so that the next time I encounter the same thing I will already have an answer prepared. In practical terms it can be helpful to give some labels. It helps me navigate through my day more efficiently. I need to stay on time, I need to get a certain task done, and I need to communicate certain things to others. But what am I missing by the automatic labels? The more I ask why the more I realize how much of life I simply breeze through, as though what is a tree has already taught me everything I need to know and I will never again benefit from wondering about the magnificence of a tree.
My concern is always that in labeling anything I then close my mind to all other alternatives. And this is clearly a bad thing in some circumstances. I cannot stand to wander this earth closed-minded, else I am really just naming everything and reflecting my own insecurities and education and opinions instead of listening and absorbing, like a child, the world around me. Because there is the adult that must make decisions but there is always that child within that wishes to see the world with new eyes. Within the decision to not create labels I effectively tell the universe that I realize I am not always in charge. Sometimes I only need observe. On the other hand, there are times when it seems that to do the right thing I must provide judgement and be active in it. Now when to tell the difference...
People have wondered this for thousands of years. The Taoism spoke of Yin and Yang. When something is whole, it is by definition complete. When you split something in half you create a dualism which we find in many aspects of our lives (day and night). These dualities, which are fluid and always changing, can together form a whole.
I suspect the time of judgement is limited while the time of living is abundant.
 |
When people see things as beautiful,
ugliness is created.
When people see things as good,
evil is created.
Being and non-being produce each other.
Difficult and easy complement each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low oppose each other.
Fore and aft follow each other.
|
Comments
Post a Comment