Creating Opposites — A Thought Stream

 

“The simple fact is that we live in a world of conflict and opposites because we live in a world of boundaries. Since every boundary line is also a battle line, here is the human predicament: the firmer one’s boundaries, the more entrenched are one’s battles. The more I hold onto pleasure, the more I necessarily fear pain. The more I pursue goodness, the more I am obsessed with evil. The more I seek success, the more I must dread failure. The harder I cling to life, the more terrifying death becomes. The more I value anything, the more obsessed I become with its loss. Most of our problems, in other words, are problems of boundaries
and the opposites they create.”
― Ken Wilber

 

Whenever we describe something, we create its opposite. If that woman is beautiful then we are saying something else is not in relation to her. If we call a nation or a people free than we are saying that others are not in comparison. Thus we build walls and we fight for them…We seem to often to see in opposites, binary on/off switches where I tend to believe that most things are continuums, sliding scales that all fit on with very little at either end of the scale. To see in binary, means far too often having a preference..good/evil, left/right, black/white. In a universe of infinite colour it seems strange to want to fight for just one. I would rather experience the full range of almost any continuum. If this one life is but one act among many, than surely we are meant to have almost every type of experience and preference there is, the better to grow our souls. Perhaps I become a bit obsessed with understanding and perhaps preferences are hardwired into the package. Maybe so, but I find that the more I see things from a point of view of preferences rather than absolutes, the less I find myself in opposition.
Blessings, G

 

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Intriguing OffersIntriguing Offers by G A Rosenberg
Autumn MemoryAutumn Memory by G A Rosenberg