Reflection takes us to the land of questioning. In questioning realization unfolds. Today’s reflection will be on how to handle conflict or contradiction. The two occur when there is friction. Friction comes into the picture when an opposite or polarity exists. It is in the polarities that one gets challenged to no end.

There is birth and we rejoice until we face the death of someone. But in rejoicing and accepting birth one’s awareness must be open to the other polarity which is death. There is daylight and no sooner has one been enjoying the natural light when darkness sets in. The moment one empowering insight evolves its opposite emerges to cause resignation. As much as one witness’s euphoria there follows frustration. These polarities become a reminder that life is in a state of positive or negative. Give attention to something and its opposite pops up.

What then becomes our challenge? It is the being mindful of duality that we are presented with an option to either be cause and an agent of change or a spectator. It is in the tension of opposites that one brings forth the new and embodies the idea of bringing the impossible to fruition or that one gets resigned and remains stagnant by focusing and enumerating the past. There is always an energizing or a disempowering path. The question is how present is one to the opportunity presented each moment and to decide what path to take?

It is in the realm of duality that opportunity exerts itself. One either seizes the moment and creates and becomes cause to a new beginning or vegetates to be stifled with the old becoming passive and submissive. There is always a choice and the result becomes a success or a failure depending on the choice one makes. It is also a fact that wrong choices will be made, however, it is in the act of being cause that the opportunity arises to correct wrong choices.

Taking the path of being cause allows one to create the condition to go to uncharted territories and open up new frontiers. There is never a comfortable moment. Thus, there is no time where anything remains the same, it evolves and undergoes change. That in short is the path in life.

In reflecting on duality and knowing how to exploit the tension brings us to understanding that each one of us are cause to everything. It also becomes relevant to embrace both the negative and positive. When the negative shows up it becomes a queue to recognize that it is time to be the cause to create something new. If one misses the opportunity then one has really become stifled with the old and equipped to only tell stories of the past and the dead in essence becoming an admirer of those that have been bold and brave to change the course of history. To be cause is to be alive and alert to construct and design something that never existed. Do you want to create or react? A wise person once said “Life is not about reaction, Life is about creation”. Which do you choose?  by Shashu Habtu