Human Chemistry

 Each of us has traits / features / behaviors as individuals. However, those characteristics change when we are members of a group of any size. One can liken this to hydrogen and oxygen combining. Each has different characteristics alone versus in combination.

Another chemical reaction is the binding of a human to a belief system. The strength of that binding determines the "chemical" properties of the combination as different from the individual properties. One can see how often "believers" are actually behaving in contradiction to their faith.

The Sacred

A friend asked me what I consider to be sacred. My initial response was that I don't know what is not sacred. On deeper reflection, it occurred to me that words are pointers to "something". They are not the "thing" itself. With that in mind, it seems to me that the pointer is to a state of consciousness / awareness / being. This state can be arrived at in "any" context - in nature, in place of worship, looking at the stars, ... There can be a binding in peoples' minds limiting the sacred to only certain contexts. So, each one us can interpret the word in so many different ways. Perhaps it is useful to keep this in mind and to tread lightly around each others' binding context to their sacred. 

Yin Yang and Yong

 

Yin and Yang can be interpreted as an unfolding at different levels. The white within the black ( and vice versa ) creates a dynamic / tension within a "smaller" context. In a larger context, the two larger black / white domains are in tension with each other. And the white within the black may yearn for the larger white and vice versa. These tensions can be seen as the unfolding of evolution, human history. At times, as at present, it seems like we are in an era of polarization where there is great tension and darkness as things seem to be heading into chaos and more. However, what gets left out is that in addition to the dynamics of yin and yang, there is yong. Yong is the larger context in which yin yang play out. The euphoria or depression that can arise out of the yin yang dynamic is simply an infinitesimal play in the infinity of the yong.