written 23 June, 2024
published 30 June 2024
Wikipedia describes Yin and Yang as a concept originating in Chinese philosophy, expressing "complementary opposing forces that interact to form a dynamic system in which the whole is greater than the assembled parts and the parts are important for cohesion of the whole." As expression of the unified whole, a small part of each is included within the other in the Yin/Yang graphic. This cooperative opposition can express as "passive contraction" relative to "active expansion", or "being" relative to "doing".
The same dynamic is expressed at any boundary, with energy or experience traveling inwardly or outwardly, relative to an individual, such as breathing in and out. Similarly, consciousness can be described as awareness and volition. There is an element of volition in the choice of our awareness focus, and an element of awareness in any act of volition, as we pay attention.
The point is that these apparently opposite forms work in balanced cooperation for the benefit of the overall system. When one part is prioritized over the other, the system becomes unbalanced and distortion results, leading eventually to collapse. Think about trying to hold your breath forever.
Classical physics perceived matter as differentiated particles, with specific locations in space and time. This corresponds to our "normal" view of the world, as we experience ourselves as separate individuals. However, the quantum revolution theorized, and demonstrated, that matter also has wave like qualities, eternally connected, without discrete distinction, being specified by frequency and amplitude. This wave/particle duality has been validity by technologies such as LED's, computers, solar panels, and lasers, which have transformed our society.
Significantly, when you look for particles, you find particles, and when you look for waves, you find waves. With no inherent reality, your choice of perspective determines your physical experience, hence conscious choice modifies physical experience.
There is a biological parallel. Our brains have two hemispheres, which process quite differently. The left-brain processes information serially, with attention to sequence and differentiation. For instance, when reading, the sequence of words, and the differentiation of letters, modifies the meaning. The right-brain processes information in parallel, experiencing holism, as when we view a photograph. There is no proper "beginning" or sequence required.
Jill Bolte-Taylor's book, "My Stroke Of Insight", describes her experience of a massive left brain aneurism. As her left brain shut down, she lost her sense of "self" as an individual, and her language skills disappeared. What stunned her was a growing experience of universal love and her connection to the entire universe, as her right-brain awareness predominated.
Instead of a balance between opposite in cooperation, our dominant global culture is rooted in separation, while denying the deeper connected reality. The resulting imbalance expresses all across society, not only as misogyny and racism, as I mentioned last week, but especially in our economic system. A few individuals have billions of dollars, and still strive to acquire more. Meanwhile, billions suffer lack of essentials such as food, water, housing, education, or healthcare. Global wars resulting from this inequity consume $14T a year. We accept and honor such economic distortion as we worship the fiction of the "marketplace". However, this aberration has now grown to threaten the survival of our entire society, as an increasingly unbalanced climate degrades the planet.
Jill Bolte-Taylor experienced love as she opened to the connectivity of the universe. The alternatives to love are fear, guilt, and judgement, feelings associated with separation. It is no accident that these emotions are the coin of the realm for fundamentalist religions and most commercial advertising. Trump and the GOP operate primarily on fear and retribution.
Each of us has the capacity to effect a change within ourselves, working to rebalance our experience of reality. Mindfulness meditation is a way to reduce the volume of the left-brain chatter, which accentuates our experience of separate differences, allowing increased awareness of interconnection, from the quieter right-brain.
Another technique is to intentionally choose where we put our attention. Gratitude is associated with awareness of our interconnected reality. When you awaken, start by considering everything in your life for which you are grateful. Once you have exhausted that list, you are better prepared to deal with all the problematic challenges in life. If you start with the problems, you could never get to the things for which you are grateful. This will change your entire perspective on your day.
As we rebalance ourselves, we help rebalance society.
