I am extending this discussion on polarities for one more note because I had two interesting conversations that bear some additional thought. Specifically, this involves the perceived duality of ‘structure’ (the control of things in the world) and 'flow' (the natural, or organic, allowing of whatever appears). These are very human notions and deserve a bit of analysis because they are endemic to modern thinking.
As human beings we love to believe we can give structure to our world. We plan, build, create and control things in order that we might alleviate the fear of being victims to a harsh reality. Basic existential fear, which is simply the fear of not existing in the universe, drives us to make our mark...to feel that we can project ourselves upon the world and 'make an imprint'. We all want to be safe and 'seen' in our lives, so we do our best to organize the physical universe in a way that we think might grant us this comfort.
Flow seems to be the opposite of this because it allows 'what is'. When we are in flow we sit back and trust that the universe is a purposeful place and that everything is unfolding the way it should. We look at nature and see that everything is already in order...it does not need to be tamed by humans to make it better. When we do this we feel at peace because we know that everything will be delivered to us at the right time and in a way that meets our need. The famous Christian quote that reflects this sentiment is 'God will provide'.
The human mind, which normally covets dualities, struggles with this one. We know we can't create in our lives without planning and purposeful action, yet we also learn very quickly that we cannot control everything we touch. Entrepreneurs find this out very quickly: The moment a business plan is finished it becomes obsolete. Carl Von Clausewitz, the military strategist, one famously said that military strategy is effective up until the moment of the first battle...then it becomes useless. We want to plan and control, but the complexity of the natural world simply will not allow us that conceit.
This is not to say, however, that the universe is 'randomly complex'. There is actually order everywhere...we just can't see it at our level of perspective. There are forms in the world that repeat themselves (trees, mountains, waves), and inertia in the way life grows. If humans were to die out as a species, everything we created would revert to forest within a couple hundred years. The natural world goes on and on, and the forms it occupies dominate and overwhelm everything humans try to create.
So what is the answer? If we cannot control, then why bother creating in the first place? Why not just let things be? Or should we actually try to control and dominate nature? We seem to be trying to do that, yet many times to disastrous effect.
In the end, I believe that to be powerful we must transcend this duality. We can plan and structure, but we must also let go of all notions of control. I encourage my patients to build and plan, but then to let them go and allow things to unfold. Planning is really just 'intention setting'. We can set our intentions (and even do so with strength and vigor) but then must allow the natural flow of things to take us where we need to go. So we can BOTH structure our world AND allow change to flow organically. When we do this we both allow ourselves to create AND follow the natural unfolding of things. This is when we access our creative power!
“Dr. Sergey Sorin’s Daily Message” - The Transitional Thoughts for the day by Dr. Sergey Sorin are with collaboration from KC. Hildreth, an Industry Consultant.
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