There may not be a right or wrong. I’ve been exposed to this concept before and have certainly used it in psychotherapy more than once when encountering someone’s rigid beliefs. Honestly, this is a concept that I often struggle with and I have a marked tendency to see things in terms of right and wrong. It requires a conscious decision to see things any other way.
The second verse of the Tao Te Ching addresses the duality of the world. I understand that I can see beauty because I see ugly and that there is no old without also knowing the existence of young. I have trouble handling things when what seems to be polar opposites exist side by side. I have even more trouble handling it when directly pertains to me. If I do something that I label as wrong, I’m all bad. If I do something that I label as great, I lose sight of other parts of me that might not be as great.
I am trying to embrace the duality of life more often. I’ve been wrestling with the inadequacy of the labels “right” and “wrong” for a long time now. Below is a tapping exercise to help better understand my struggle. I hope you tap along.
Setup (while tapping on the karate chop point): Even though I tend to think in terms of right and wrong, I deeply and completely love and accept myself. Even though I struggle with dichotomous interpretations of the world, I am open to having an easier time with this. Even though I have blocks to really accepting the new way of seeing the world in my life, I choose to embrace my willingness to change and accept all of me along the journey.
Eyebrow…Life without sadness means life without joy
Side of Eye…Life without illness means life without health
Under the Eye…Life without tragedy means life without victory
Under the Nose…Life without frustration means life without satisfaction
Chin…I’m afraid to embrace the entire human experience
Collarbone…I really prefer only the thing that I label as good
Under the Arm…The rest really scares me
Top of Head…I can’t quite wrap my head around the whole thing
Eyebrow…A part of me wants to get it
Side of Eye…And another part of me doesn’t
Under the Eye…That is just another example of the duality of the world
Under the Nose…I guess I can’t fully understand the concept of approach
Chin…If I don’t also recognize my own feeling of avoid
Collarbone…I’m not sure how this really plays out in my daily life
Under the Arm…I look forward to those moments when I feel like I really get it
Top of Head…And I guess I need to look forward to the moments where I don’t too. That is the duality of life.