The theory of Yin and Yang: the duality of balance

The theory of Yin and Yang tells us that everything around us is made up of two opposing forces that unite in harmony to promote movement and, in turn, change. Thus, while Yin symbolizes the dark, water, the intuitive and the ability to nourish life, Yang constitutes impetus, light, expansion and fire.

This concept rooted in Taoism constitutes in itself an undeniable and, at the same time, wonderful framework for reflection. Now, in the midst of such a suggestive dialectical and conceptual game where everything seems to have its opposite and at the same time its other complementary part, there is an evident fact. A nuance that characterizes all of us, this modern, advanced, brilliant and, of course, globalized society.

Currently, Our personal vision is limited to seeing everything that surrounds us in absolute and dichotomous terms.. People are good or bad. Are you rational or are you emotional. Either you are with me or you are against me. If you are not intelligent you are ignorant. Happiness is the opposite of sadness. If you do not approve of my truth you are defending the lie. At the same time, and no less important, we have built a social framework where we emphasize Yang in almost any scenario.

We value the rational over the emotional, we emphasize strength, dynamism and that sense of domination that often frames patriarchal societies. We have forgotten to feed or care for that more holistic view, that perception capable of seeing reality as a continuum and not as a play of forces. where one must always prevail over the other.

Let’s reflect on it.

The Yin and Yang Theory: What We Choose to Hide

We all know how to recognize the classic Yin and Yang symbol.. Thus, and although this diagram has its most remote origin in Chinese philosophy, it is worth saying that this idea, this concept, has its testimony in multiple cultures. In the Hindu, Egyptian or Hebrew tradition, this manifestation of the dual also appears, that color where day and night, the masculine and the feminine, the earth and the sky, configure that sense of harmony where the opposite complements and complements each other. It flows to give dynamism and meaning to life.

On the other hand, Something that the theory of Yin and Yang suggests to us is that each of us already arrives at this world “complete.”. In our being, capacities, qualities and characteristics come together that by themselves constitute a varied, immensely rich and sometimes even contradictory whole. However, we perceive ourselves with a series of very specific, defining and absolute traits. For example, we can see ourselves as noble, judicious and kind beings. However, we also forget that violence can arise when we least expect it.

We can conceive ourselves as very active people, but from time to time we are also embraced by laziness. We can feel happy and desperate in the same day. We are those beings capable of loving and hating at the same time (and the same person). Even more, one can lead a life governed by logic and the most objective reasoning and at a given moment, wake up, change. Realize that this is not the path and focus your life towards that more intuitive and emotional side.

Carl Gustav Jung dedicated a good part of his life to studying this idea. For the Swiss psychologist, the human being lives in a continuous contradiction. Even though we all come to this world complete, our education, the context or even ourselves, we choose what parts to hide, what to deny (us) and what to reject.

So, Men, for example, will choose to hide their Yin, that feminine part, that more emotional, sensitive and intuitive side. that should be relegated to a corner to bring out the Yang. To that more dynamic, conquering, strong and energetic side. Jung explained that everything that we do not accept or that we avoid exploring or enhancing in ourselves we relegate to the “shadow”. And that act, that of hiding what one does not want to assume, generates suffering and contradiction.

Yin and Yang: the symbol of transformation

The theory of yin and yang is inhabited by small and subtle nuances that are as interesting as they are inspiring. Its symbol, with that central wave that divides the circle, reminds us that life is not static.. This shape symbolizes the impulse of energy, the resurgence of change and the ultimate need to transform ourselves, to move towards constant growth.

At the same time, we can also see how in the center of each part there is another smaller circle with the opposite color. It symbolizes the seed of the opposite. Yin and yang theory reminds us not to see ourselves in absolute terms. Nor should we see life in the classic prism through which either everything is white or everything is black.. In human beings, as in one’s own life, everything is relative and everything can change at any given moment.

Our personal harmony starts from our own ability to maintain balance between all the forces that come together in us. To be happy you have to know how to manage sadness. To love with maturity you must also love the chiaroscuro of the other. To contribute to our development as human beings we must find that point where the emotional and the rational are in tune.a space of self-knowledge, acceptance and expansion.

Let us therefore try to work on those opposite energies that still inhabit us to create a more harmonious, meaningful and, above all, satisfactory whole.

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