Navigating Dualities

And How this Shapes the Content of our Character

A Spiritual Paradox

In our last post, we presented a spiritual paradox.

On the one hand, spiritually, we are all part of the Great Unity. By this we mean “oneness;” the essential interconnectedness of all life and existence, seen and unseen. In the purest, cosmic, sacred sense, there is no duality or separation; there is solely Unity.

Yet that is not how we experience our day-to-day lives. Instead of feeling connected to others, we often feel isolated and lonely; as if we were forced to make choices between two extremes, with our way forward obfuscated and unclear.

This post is precisely about such “dualities,” and how they may manifest in our individual lives.

The Emergence of Dualities

We are born. Our baby eyes open and we scream!

Blindness/sight.

Silence/noise.

Immediately, we begin navigating between dualities along a gamut of volition.

Initially, these dualities and our choices among them are primordial. We are focused almost exclusively on the preservation of the physical body; “the survival of the species.”

Hungry/fed.

Thirsty/hydrated.

Tired/sleep.

Irritated/soothed.

While we are born with innate free will, the range of our free will is at first quite proscribed by our lack of development. This is because we are babies!

Over time, as we grow and evolve, the range of our freedom expands, and consciousness emerges to aid us in our choices.

The dualities we choose between become more intricate, elaborate, and complex. Yet the same is true of the tools we develop for their traversal.

A sort of learning loop emerges: we make choices using what consciousness we have available to us at the time of the decision, and the decisions we make have consequences that inform our consciousness, which in turn aids us in making further decisions.

There are several potential names for this process: the growth of consciousness; the emergence of awareness; life-lessons. Or simply, maturity and healthy, well-balanced adulthood!

As this cycle of emergent consciousness unfolds and repeats itself countless times, we may experience certain of its inexorable features.

Powerlessness and Freedom

Among the foremost of these features is the experience of powerlessness.

Many times, in living our day-to-days, we confront powerlessness; our lives or situation suddenly feel “out of control:”

people fail to act in the manner we think that they should;

events occur in ways we can’t fathom;

the road we want to take is blocked;

the results we wish to achieve are denied;

the outcomes to events which to our eyes appears so obviously right not only fail to transpire, but the seeming opposite occurs; unfairness manifests, and circumstances unfold in unjust ways.

Powerlessness is not easy to experience. It often brings with it anger, frustration, self-pity, despair, anxiety, fear, depression, and other painful emotions which block out the Light.

Yet even in such circumstances, we remain free.

Even in what may appear to be our bleakest moments, we still can choose to change our attitude; to seek alternative means and paths; to practice what virtues we may.

Or we can choose to succumb to negative emotions; allow ourselves to be swept away by despair, or anger, or frustration!

In spiritual terms, such is the perfect, unconditional love that the Great Unity has for us, that we humans are created free to turn towards the Creator with faith, to seek guidance and solace, or to reject her existence all together.

Interdependence; Cause and Effect

A second characteristic of this cycle of consciousness, or emergent awareness, is that it does not transpire in isolation.

The way we exercise our freedom and choose among dualities affects both ourselves, as well as others.

Obviously, the person most forcefully impacted by our decisions is our own self.

Yet our decisions and their consequences also acutely effect those to whom we’re close. Such consequences may even ripple further, beyond our personal lives, in ways we are not aware, and impact people we don’t even know.

In some cases, decisions by very powerful people might even effect every person on the planet, via the transmission mechanisms of interdependent Unity.

This is why our masters teach us to be pure in thought and feeling, word and action: because the decisions we make and the way we exercise our freedom has consequences.

Co-Creation and the Content of our Character

Third, the way we navigate through this cycle of dualities is of such vital importance, that it determines our character. It is also replete with opportunity, for it opens the door to the potential for marvelous acts of co-creation!

Of course, each person is endowed with a unique individuality, which becomes personality and ability.

Character - in particular our moral character - is much more a matter of personal choice. Here are some examples of common “dualities;” how we choose between them helps define the content of our character.

Honesty / Deception.

Involvement / Apathy.

Courageous / Cowardly.

Hope / Despair.

Humility / Grandiosity.

Acceptance / Denial.

Gratitude / Envy.

Serene / Anxious

Connection / Alienation.

Joyful / Self-pity

Compassionate / Selfish.

Empathy / Judgmental.

Self-serving / Service to others.

Awakened / Ignorant.

And so on.

Help Along the Way

Life can be hard!

And for those who decide to embark on the “internal journey,” the spiritual path is frequently difficult to discern and follow. Often, without us even realizing it, our own egos get in the way of our progress and growth.

Because of these complexities, the Great Unity sends help along the way. Such help takes many forms.

The most common and frequently most effective wellspring of aid are our friends and family. For they can be sources of great comfort in trying times.

Also vital are well-intentioned teachers, or compassionate support groups, or empathetic, properly trained mental and emotional health professionals. For they too can be providers of solace and guidance.

The Great Unity has also sent us many messengers over time, to help us in the journey from ego-self to higher-self.

These messengers have gone by many names, spoken many languages, and lived in many eras. Often, they are called spiritual masters or teachers. Some are quite famous and visible, with their teachings recorded in our sacred texts.

Most, however, are anonymous and thus invisible to all but the people whose lives they touch. If one so desires or has the need, and maintains a humble open mind and heart, then the Great Unity will answer seekers’ petition for spiritual guidance, and assign that person an appropriate master or teacher at just the right time!

For when the mind is ready, the teacher appears.

What Does this Have to do with Economics?

So what does this have to do with economics? The answer, as always, is “as much as we freely choose it to have.”