Seeing Beyond Opposites

By Michael Chojnacki and Maureen O'Day

     The world we live in is made up of opposites which are symbolized in the East as yin and yang.  The light yang is regarded as a male symbol and represents light and summer, while the dark yin is regarded as female and represents shadow and winter.  Though they are opposites, neither element has meaning without the other.

     When we look at the symbol for yin and yang, we see a circle divided in half by a dark area and a light area, representing opposites.  In the dark area, there is a light spot; and in the light area, a dark spot.  (This is how they relate to each other, since one can’t relate at all to something that hasn’t been experienced.)  Since we can recognize light only because of dark, and vice versa, yin and yang cannot be separated, even though they appear as opposites. The same is true for all opposites: front and back, up and down, happy and sad, etc.  They can only be known in relationship to one another.  Just as heads and tails are inseparable parts of the same coin, they are not in conflict with each other. Together these opposites make a whole.   

     In the relative world we live in, people tend to see opposites as being in opposition – up/down, rich/poor, gentle/severe – endless dichotomy.  In seeing opposites, it’s easy to conclude that life is conflict.  Yet, to believe that conflict between opposites is the nature of life is a dualistic viewpoint.  There is beauty and symmetry in life because opposites interact to create a true whole.   

     A more encompassing view allows us to glimpse the true nature of opposites and the fact that they cannot exist apart from each other.  From this comes the realization that all opposites form a single whole, which is the essence or spirit of the universe.  This universal energy has divided to form the world we live in.  Yet, our relative, dualistic world is never separate from the absolute universe.  It is, rather, a manifestation of it.