Those who would have right without its correlative, wrong; or good government without its correlative, misrule,—they do not apprehend the great principles of the universe nor the conditions to which all creation is subject. One might as well talk of the existence of heaven without that of earth, or of the negative principle without the positive, which is clearly absurd.
One could not simply enjoy the world around us if we did not know the opposites. There would be no emotion to our lives if we did not experience a down moment because the up moment would be plain and constant. We would not know it was up, it would just be. It is in our acceptance of opposites that we can truly begin to enjoy life. We would not know beauty without ugly, happiness without sadness.
With that being said, it is wise to understand that the opposites make no difference in actual life. Each is what it is in the present. Being happy is the same as sad but just on the opposite side. I'm having a hard time writing what I mean in my thoughts. If a coin is flipped it makes no difference which side turns up, it is still the same coin and still a decision that moves us forward, regardless the direction it takes us.
3 comments:
one of the key points in Taoist thought and well made as ever by Chuang.
It makes not difference whether the coin lands head or tails, there is a lesson if we look for the lesson, and it is positive if we see it that way. Is that what you're saying?
Time only exists in the present. Doing is still doing no matter what is done. Whether a wall is painted blue or red it is still painted. If you're rude or nice to a person you still reacted with them. If you walk 15 miles north of a starting point or 15 miles south, you're still 15 miles from the start. It makes no difference what was done if something was done.
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