Paradox

You’ve probably heard the saying “you can’t have it both ways.” And there are many instances that is true. However, there are many, many where it is not.

I’ve come to appreciate more and more the word paradox and all it represents. The definition of paradox I found that I like best is “a situation or statement where certain facts or information appear to be contradictory but may still be accurate.”

Perhaps a good example is feeling alone in a crowd. Have you ever felt like that? You are standing in a sea of people, not alone. But deep inside, you experience the ache of loneliness. Someone told me recently she had been invited to go to a party that wasn’t really her scene, so she declined. At the same time, she had a fear of missing out. That’s paradox.

We are all examples of paradox. We human beings are very complex creatures. We can hold two opposing things together.

Many of us are quick to judge ourselves and each other as introvert or extrovert, good or bad, nice or mean, strong or weak, etc. I think if we’re honest, we’re often both. A lot of public speakers admit to being introverts, they are most comfortable alone in their own space. And every one of us, if we admit it, can be very nice but also have a mean streak at times. There is also a powerful feeling, the strength that comes when we can accept how powerless we really are.

We are living in a time when paradox is not favored or popular, there is a lot of expectation of either/or thinking. We feel the pressure to choose a side or belief, and a need to convince others we are right. We fear being wrong.

How do we free ourselves of that either/or thinking? I think a good place to start is b looking inside our self, practice not resisting the paradox and complexity of life, ourselves and each other.

Freedom will come to us when we can respectfully disagree and allow the other the freedom to have their own belief and opinions.