The conundrum of duality
Humans have been grappling with this situation for millennia. How does something come from nothing or how does many things come from one thing? In the east, Taoism describes “the One beget the two, which begets the three, which begets the 10,000 things” (verse 42). In the west, presocratic philosophers began the argument between atoms and ideas which continues to this day. In psychology the basic duality gets formed through individual identity vs the group, by it family or tribe. The individuation of self from the other, mother, is the first step in maturation. Yet this self is embedded in, and required to conform to, the oneness of the group and culture. Self and other quickly turns into us and them. Our western Judeo-Christian culture takes this duality one step further by canonizing the tribal duality of “us and them” into a religious proscription. If a Hebrew was enticed by any of the fertility rites or the ideas brought by conquering empires, they were told those things were not for ‘us’, the chosen people. The other was not only different but now Divinely ordained as sinister, or at the very least, unclean and unworthy of participation. Oneness became the oneness of us and the otherness of them, as described by God, no less.
The revelation of paradox
With our spirituality we confront the troublesome question of whether we can deeply acknowledge our diversity without affirming separation? From our stand for social justice we wonder how we can affirm our oneness without denying our human identities and the wounds associated with them? Science of Mind inevitably resolves all these signification difficulties into paradox. Seeking the nature of the One, Infinite Reality gives rise to the exploration of Absolute and Relative, the relationship between Being and Doing, the reality of living as both human and Divine. These are all ways of describing the inherent tension between the One Universal, Infinite, Reality which is the ground of all Being and the multiplicity of forms made possible by the inherent duality of the space/time continuum.
This is actually only a problem when this is held as an either/or duality. This pits the two sides against each other, and one side needs to turn out to be better or more right than the other. What makes something a paradox, however, is that it is a “both/and” rather than “either/or”. Making friends with the paradox moves us beyond the right and wrong mindset, into a much richer, more inclusive viewpoint.
Diversity is Infinite Variety
Oneness and diversity is at the heart of Being and Becoming, which the Science of Mind calls the Creative Process. The Science of Mind recognizes that the essential nature of Life is ONE, it is the same Life living throughout all creation and it is the same Consciousness which is the impulse and Intelligence behind creation. Creation, with its infinite variety of form and expression, is filled with so many uniquely diverse types and groups and individuals as to be completely uncountable. Clearly there is a need for this variety. Let’s begin with mind-blowing idea that every snowflake (or blade of grass or leaf) is unique, yet all have the same qualities & properties – every snowflake is frozen H2O. Then look at flowers and trees, birds and animals. Why so many types? The diversity of flowers, for instance, from peony to iris to rose, is a celebration of the infinite number of ways and forms needed to express the One, Infinite Life as “flower”. Just a quick look at nature and the richness of any ecosystem will provide evidence that this diversity is not only appreciated, but it is necessary to the well-being of the whole.
The Inclusion of the Other
It is no secret, however, that diversity is challenging. Going back through the Christians to our Hebrew forebears, otherness may be altogether too be enticing! Yet in relationships, don’t we want our partners, ultimately, to be just like us? This polarity around otherness may keep us clinging to the security and peace of Oneness.
But we are definitely not all the same. Neither as individuals nor as types or groups of people. Nature (individual uniqueness) plus Nuture (family/culture/religion/environmental impact) make each of us totally unique. Emerson reminds us to “insist on yourself” and that “imitation is suicide.”
We are all just a little unique, for each wears a different face but behind each is the One Presence – God. Unity does not mean uniformity. Unity means that everything draws its strength, it power, and its ability to live from One Source. Holmes, 365 Science of Mind
Yet we long for belonging, to fit in and be part of the whole. Additionally our spirituality and intuition pull us toward an embodied experience of Oneness. Once again, the tension is resolved in paradox. As much as we must be ourselves, we must see and support others to be themselves, for they are the One made manifest in infinite variety. To love our neighbor as ourself is to want for the other just exactly what we want – to be authentically and fully ourselves. And since we recognize our need for belonging causes us to be drawn to those who are like us, to identify with others we recognize as kin, that too we would want others to joyfully find in their own lives. Belonging, acceptance, and to be seen and recognized as part of the something larger than just ourselves.
Celebrating Diversity and Including the Other honors all the unique forms of expression and is fundamentally grounded in the realization of Oneness. Celebrating Oneness recognizes our interconnection, beneath any apparent separation. Arguing about which is more important takes us back to either/or. Both are equally important. When we keep both/and as our framework, we can fully engage on both sides of the paradox at the same time.
Centers for Spiritual Living believes that spiritual maturity has no need to create conflict or to say one side is better than another. We recognize that the inclusion of the other is the only way to actually embody and reveal our inherent Oneness. Just as the variety of flowers makes a single garden more beautiful and healthier, so diversity and inclusion makes our Oneness richer and more fulfilling. Oneness and Otherness are simply two sides of the same Reality. Including both is the living out the ultimate paradox.
About the Author, Dr. Petra Weldes
Serving as Spiritual Director of CSLDallas since 1998, Rev Dr Petra Weldes is a powerful, gifted speaker and teacher whose visionary role has created a dynamic spiritual community in Dallas, empowering and transforming lives. In her over 30 years of ministry, her purpose is transformation and her mission is to grow people, communities, and ideas.
A highly regarded, deeply admired teacher, Dr Petra engages students with her interactive style providing a safe, sacred environment for personal growth and exploration. Her deep wisdom, wealth of knowledge, humility as well as humor, guides students into journeys of awakening to their unique expression and creative and joyful potential. An elegant, powerful speaker, her ability to translate seemingly complex and confusing life issues into concise and clear messages invites the audience into deeper levels of understanding of their being and engagement in the world by igniting the change within.
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