The Yin and Yang of Politics

Many out there see politics as a battle between two diametrically opposed philosophies, in which one must win the battle and hold supremacy over the other. I’ve never really bought into this idea and just in the last few days I’ve begun to realize Why. My epiphany, if you will, occurred after the culmination two separate events. First last Wednesday in my mythology class we were discussing the creation myths of China, of which there are three (per World Mythology by Donna Rosenberg): P’an Ku, Creator of the Universe; Nu Kua, Creator and Preserver of Human Life; and Yin & Yang and the Creation of the Universe. And second was the abortion discussion over on Red’s blog. At this point I’m sure you are scratching your head wondering how in the bloody hell a discussion on one of, if not the, most divisive issue of our time and Chinese myths have anything to do with one another. Well on the surface, not a heck of a lot, but I’ll take you on the journey nonetheless. And the moral of our story is balance.

Nearly everyone is familiar with this symbol:

It is the representation of yin and yang, but what many don’t fully understand is what it means. The following is from Experiencing the World’s Religions by Michael Molloy (page 210):

“Yang and Yin After about 1000 BCE the Chinese commonly thought that the universe expressed itself in opposite but complementary principles: light and dark, day and night, hot and cold, sky and earth, summer and winter… The names for the two complementary principles are yang and yin.

The principles are not the same as good and evil. Yang is not expected to win over the force of yin, or vice versa; rather, the ideal is a dynamic balance between the forces.”

The key is balance and harmony, not winning and losing. Yin and yang play a key role in the three Chinese creation myths, from being the gods that create the universe to the force that breaths life into humanity. (Note: Until reading Yin and Yang and the Creation of the Universe I had never heard of them referred to as gods. I looked through the entries for yin and yang and Chinese religion in The Harper Collins Dictionary of Religion and not find a reference to yin and yang as gods.)

Red posted a piece on abortion a few days ago (see my The big A post). He and I went back and forth a bit but eventually came to a much better understanding of each other and the issue (this happened after I re-read the post and then provided a more detailed explanation of my position on the issue). While he and I disagree on the issue, we realized that at the core, we are not that far apart. (Note: Obviously I can only speak for myself here and hope that I am not putting words into Red’s mouth) This understanding I think is best summed up by one of Red’s own comments:

“Together you and I could solve the world’s problems if they would let us…”

I read that and then it all clicked. I had a sudden realization that had been stuck in the back of my mind but was now finally allowed to see the light of day.

Here it is folks… We are wasting our time and energy in philosophical battles where one tries to dominate the other. Instead of focusing on winning, we need to focus on bringing this country into balance. Balance and harmony should be our goals and end games, not winning and losing. We’ve been playing that game for years and look where it has gotten us. Liberals and conservatives can be the yin and yang of American politics and should be. Enough of the fight; let us strive for balance and harmony.