My first memory of this image was a surfer logo from the 1980’s , Town & Country Surf Design used a version of the Yin-Yang symbol on their products. That look was all the rage for a long while!

And that image sparked an interest years later in eastern philosophy; raised in the west and in a Christian tradition, I was curious about the rest of the world.

Yin-Yang. As Wiki explains,“In Chinese mythology, the universe develops out of a primary chaos of primordial qi or material energy, organized into the cycles of yin and yang, force and motion leading to form and matter. “Yin” is retractive, passive, contractive and receptive in nature in a contrasting relationship to “yang”, which is repelling, active, expansive and repulsive in principle.”

I used to think that in order to be in harmony and close to other people, we had to have most in common, similarities, much more than differences.

Over the years I have pursued relationships with people that are different in some ways. At times I have also struggled with finding common ground in some cases, struggling to evaluate those relationships where glaring differences seemed to overshadow connection.

More recently I’ve come to believe that love and mutual respect can exist in places where there are significant differences; it takes a different perspective, and a different effort.

New, personal insight from ancient wisdom and ideas, this broader, nuanced world view has helped me strengthen my foundation anew,

Hang Loose, baby! 🤙🏿

GOOD.