There is a lot of division and polarity in our societies today. Way too often reality is presented in simplistic black and white, dualistic terms. “Them and us”, “right or wrong”, “right or left”, and so on. It’s stoking both fear and hatred.
Maybe that’s deliberate. Maybe the old “divide and rule” adage is in full sway? Maybe such ridiculous over simplifications are done for effect – to distract, to stoke outrage, to instil fear.
I’m always very suspicious of such views because reality is not like that. Reality is both complex and diverse. It can’t be chopped into pieces and put in two boxes.
That’s not to say that opposites and polarities don’t exist. They do. There is wildness and discipline. There is chaos and order. There is flexibility and rigidity.
The thing is I am healthy when those polarities exist in an integrative flow. You are healthy when your whole being is in an integrative flow. The planet is healthy when the diversity exists in integrative flow.
What is integrative flow? When two well differentiated parts create a mutually beneficial bond.
Too much chaos and everything falls apart. Too much order and the system loses its flexibility and its ability to adapt to constant change.
Look at this photo of a garden. There are two clear areas here. The well trimmed, shaped topiary of the bushes and the wilder, sprawling branches of trees. Together they create an astonishing beauty.
We need diversity. We need différence. We need polarities. But we need them to exist in integrative flow.
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