119. From Conflict To Harmony

Creativity seems to require us to abandon rules and order. Growth seems to require us to let go of the structure we have already built. Unity seems to require us to get rid of any distinction between the parts. But we do not need to abandon anything. In the realm of concepts, it is possible to have it all.

When we artificially restrict ourselves to this or that position, we limit our understanding. We can instead allow for both and recognize the advantage of flexibility. Rigid attachment to a single perspective is the source of countless problems. In addition to the suffering it produces, we also become unable to see the full range of possibilities open to us, as we have closed ourselves off from them in advance.

But we must also be careful. Embracing a multiplicity of viewpoints is not a matter of finding balance. It is not about constructing some perfect middle that only takes parts from this side and that side. Sometimes we need to go to the extremes, especially when one way of seeing has become dominant and overbearing. It is by adopting the extreme opposite of our usual perspective that we allow the space of possibilities to radically expand.

When we are open to new possibilities, we gain the opportunity for our awareness to grow. When we allow our attachment to intentions or judgments to shut out part of the world, we actively limit our potential awareness. And it is through awareness that we become capable of seeing clearly.

When we see clearly, we are sensitive to everything and we notice the parts of ourselves and the world that most need our attention and action. When we see clearly, we discover how to enable creativity with order, growth with structure, and unity with distinction.

By allowing ourselves to approach our experiences from a wide variety of perspectives, we learn how to transform conceptual conflicts into harmonies we would otherwise rule out as contradictory. We also learn how to transcend the boundary between the self and the other, and in doing so, we create the most powerful harmony of all.