The Dying Concept of Duality

I first became aware of the origins of the concept of duality when I read Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. The subject of duality became important through his search for the the meaning of quality. He stated, that quality existed in both Classic and Romantic realms of thought, which in his terms defied the concept of duality.

I am now reading a book called Hands of Light by Barbara Ann Brennan, that picks up this concept and puts it into reference. Which has caused fantastic revelation for me, that I would like to share.

The concept of duality, in Western civilazation, dates back to the early Greek philosophers. Then Issac Newton reinforced this existence with his work in physics, due to his view that everything was solid objects, or said more simply, everything is separate. This has been our existence since his concepts were presented.

Then, in the early 1900's along came Albert Einstein, and his theories shattered Newton's Law, by stating, space is not 3 dimensional, and time is not a separate entity. Both are connected and form a 4 dimensional continuum, space time. Connected is the operative word in the last statement.

If you are not a Physicist, you probably react to Einstein's theories, much like I do, "It's way over my head!" In my opinion, this is because we have no way to apply it in our everyday lives. Where as Newton's theories, could be applied every day. Newtonian thoughts are "that is a rock", or "that is a tree" and "that is the ground". Those thoughts reinforce the concept of everything is separate. This where duality is reinforced through the concept of either/or.

In the 1920's, as scientists began to explore quantum physics they also began to confirm most of Einstein's theories. The term quanta is name given to sub atomic particles called energy packets. The more scientists began to explore, the realization became quite clear, things are not either/or, they are both/and. Take light as an example it is both a wave, and it is individual energy packets. It is not either a wave or a packet. It is both and!

So, what does this all have to do with you and I, in our everyday world? It's really pretty simple when you boil it all down. Everything is made of energy, to include us and our thoughts. We exist in a field of energy known as the universe. Energy is a continually flowing through us and from us at the same time. Through this energy field we are all connected to every thing in the universe!

When we actually understand this concept, the duality disappears. There is no good or bad, right or wrong as an example. There is both good and bad to all situations, and there is both right and wrong. Using those concepts as examples can be quite difficult to get our heads around in the world we live in now. I am sure if we try to apply this concept to say a really hot topic like terrorism, the concept becomes much harder to apply.

I can hear you thinking terrorism is bad, terrorism is wrong, and yes on the surface it is, but within those acts of terrorism there are seeds of good. I now hear you gasping! (GRIN!) If we dig deep enough and long enough, and if can keep our opinions separate from the facts, then we will be able to find those seeds, as they do exist, they must. It is the Law of, both/and.

By the same token, all good acts contain seeds of bad. Your not gasping this time, but your internal dialog is starting to tell you I am completely nuts, and that is okay! Again if you dig deep enough you will find the seeds of bad, however tiny they are they are still there.

Now think of the Yin/Yang symbol, with in the black realm there is a white dot, and with in the white realm there is a black dot. If you apply the concept to the whole symbol, it begins to take on new meaning.

The Chautauqua That is TED!

I love the TED lectures! They cover all kinds of inspiring, challenging, and thought provoking topics.

I ask that you set aside about 5 minutes, and watch this video, as I believe this is a possibility.

Enjoy!

Follow Up To "Breakthrough"

In a brief sentence, the checks have not shown up yet.

The interesting part is my reaction to this event. The old me, would have gone right back to being resigned and cynical. To be honest that thought crossed my mind more than once, but as that opportunity to slide back into that old train of though presented itself, the stronger my commitment to my new self became. As I rolled in this sea of emotion, I realized that it would be my choice that would ultimately determine the outcome.

The checks had not shown up in time for Jaia and I to attend the class, and that is all that happened, no more no less. My initial instinct was to assign meaning to the checks not showing up. "I must have done something wrong", "I am not practicing hard enough", "It was not the time to ask for the checks" and on and on it went, until I put a stop to it, and told myself, it just happened, and that is all.

Then the flip side of the event began to burst into my thought pattern. "Wow, how foolish you look", "everybody thinks you are crazy", "what a looser you are". Then I put an end to that by realizing, that may be some peoples opinion of the path I have chosen, and as we all know, opinions mean nothing. This process was not as short as it may sound, it took really digging deep inside to stop trying to "look good/not look bad". The icing on the proverbial cake was, it just happened, and it means nothing. Isn't it funny how that concept pops up again!

The strength of the breakthrough I had last month actually sustained me through this process. The other interesting element of this process is, I did it by myself with the help of the universe. I could have called Kristi or Lesley for coaching, but I chose not to. I was determined to grapple with this breakdown with tools I have. Though my, on going daily practice, I felt strong enough to do this on my own, and with the help of the universe, I did.

Are the checks still coming? Sure they are, and you can bet your bottom dollar when they do, I will write a piece about that. For now, I am happy and connected to the universe! Things are as they should be.

May you find your connection to the universe, and once you do, live in that connection. It is an incredibly infinite and powerful space!