What does it mean when you say the dualities of life? In our lives, we have interactions with opposing forces. We have an energy field around us at all times with a positive and negative charge that opposes the other. However, the two forces can complement the other in ways many don’t truly understand. Look at it as a balancing. The yin and yang of the world.
dual: consisting of two parts, elements, or aspects.
2nd Verse of the Tao Te Ching –
Under heaven, all can see beauty as beauty,
only because there is ugliness.
All can know good as good only because there is evil.
Being and nonbeing produce each other.
The difficult is born in the easy.
Long is defined by short, the high by the low.
Before and after go along with each other.
So the sage lives openly with apparent duality
and paradoxical unity.
The sage can act without effort
and teach without words.
Nurturing things without possessing them,
he works, but not for rewards;
he competes, but not for results.
When the work is done, it is forgotten.
That is why it lasts forever.
-Lao Tzu, The Tao Te Ching
Understanding dualities
To truly understand and value life you must have two things. For example, to truly treasure life, there must be death. Appreciating the sun, there’s darkness. Or if you are a vampire you can appreciate the darkness more when the sun’s out! Two opposing forces such as highs and lows can work in harmony for the goodness in our lives.
some examples
-success and failure
-life and death
-hot and cold
-day and night
-happy and sad
-positive and negative
The dualities of life give us an appreciation for things like no other. We tend to get used to the way things are so much so that we often forget the value in it. There is complacency about it over time. I personally have found ways to appreciate the dualities of life that I didn’t comprehend before.
Appreciating life
Each morning at about 4:45 am I start off with a nice 30-minute walk around my neighborhood. It’s pitch black and I can soak in the night environment with views of the moon and the stars. It’s beautiful, and I reflect on the universe and the world around us. Additionally, many days I also see and interact with the wildlife that is usually more hidden than the daytime.
We have some raccoons that scavenge around that I like to call Trash Pandas. It is pretty cool to watch them going about their lives as I am going about mine. Also, there are deer, skunks, cats, possums, rabbits, and more. I truly enjoy this time of peace and treasure it.
Later in the day usually before lunch, I go for another 30-minute walk and soak in the rays of the sun. I have a great love for warmth and during this time I see and hear many things that you aren’t able to see during the night. You hear the birds chirping, cars moving and take in nature around.
Conclusion
The dualities of life shouldn’t be viewed as a negative, but taken in and appreciated for the balance it provides. Take the time to understand your life and reflect on all the goodness there is. The yin and yang will balance and work in harmony with each other if open to it.
