The Yin & Yang in Our Lives

Long ago in ancient China the early Taoists carefully studied the natural world and saw how everything had two influences, which regulate, complement, or oppose. They named them Yin & Yang and depicted them with the now famous symbol.

They noticed how everything had an opposite but because it was an opposite didn’t necessarily mean it would oppose, it could also compliment. Nothing is totally Yin or totally Yang. These two opposing yet complimentary forces are the underlying factors behind Chinese thought. They are inherent in Chinese philosophy, medicine, and are depicted by many works of art; indeed they are at the root of Chinese culture.

Let us take a few examples and try to see how these two fundamental principles not only oppose, but also compliment each other. Yin being the moon, night, darkness, water, cold, female, contraction. Yang being sun, day, light, fire, heat, male, expansion. Firstly we must understand that nothing is totally yin or yang, each has a little of the other present in varying degrees. This can be seen by examining the above yin and yang characteristics. The moon appears at night when it is dark. Night, dark and moon are yin, but the moon which waxes and wanes depending on the time of the month, gives us and the rest of the animal kingdom a little light with which to see by, which is yang. The sun which is yang gives us warmth and light without which plants would not grow and there would be no food to sustain life. When the sun is at its peak animals seek the shade, which is yin and we humans, if we venture out at this time, need to drink more fluids, which are yin, to keep our body temperature normal. If the sun shone continuously all plant life would shrivel up and die, the rivers and sea would eventually dry up and all life would cease, for all life needs water to survive. So permanent yang is not good. If Earth were perpetually in darkness, plants would not grow and there would be no food to feed the animal kingdom. So permanent yin is not good. So whilst it is true that yin and yang are opposites, they also harmonise for without either life, as we know it, could not exist on our planet. Without either male or female human life could not continue. Whilst man and women have since the beginning of life on earth had difficulty understanding one another, they must co-operate and harmonise with each other to continue the species.

Too much pleasure will turn to pain. If you have a night out on the town over-indulging in food and drink you will surely suffer for it the following day. And if you continue to do this on a regular basis your health will inevitably deteriorate. Balance is essential to our well being, but we are all individuals and what suits one does not necessarily suit another. It is just like learning to ride a bicycle, people can show you how to turn the pedals to provide motion, move the handlebars to change direction and apply the brakes to stop. The only thing they cannot teach you is how to keep your balance on the bike, you just have to get on and keep falling off until you master it. You must do it for yourself. Striking a balance in all things, the food we eat, work and rest, spending time with others and finding time for yourself etc. is the way to enjoy life whilst keeping your good health, and sometimes, in the face of seemingly insurmountable hardship, to keep your sanity!

What is, is.
The awareness of Yin and Yang teaches us that whatever we experience has another side, and it is only by being open to the whole, without judgment, will we be able to appreciate the true nature and overwhelming richness of life.

by Howard Gibbon - 14 November 2011

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