Opposites

Whether watching TV or viewing our own life, sometimes we fall prey to thinking in terms of black and white.  Regardless of the color of their hats, we have good guys and bad guys, shooting their way through classic movies.  In reality, opposing forces are not as distinct or separate.  The idea of opposites, while sometimes comforting, is a fallacy.

Whatever opposite duos you seemingly observe, closer inspection will unearth a whole spectrum.  It’s all a matter of scale. 

Between black and white is a multitude of shades of gray.  When measuring hot, you’ll find warmth before getting to cold.  Between night and day there is dusk and dawn.  Obscuring the lie between good and bad, we sometimes find bad guys doing and good guys acting badly. The acts themselves, whether good or bad, can vary to the degree of good or bad they entail.

Night does not oppose day.   It simply exists.  Days slowly turn into night, as nights will I time break with dawn.  Neither is at odds with the other.

Hot does not oppose cold.  It simply exists.  Hot water slowly cools and becomes cold.  Neither state is at odds with the other.

In and of its self, goodness exists simply to be good, not fight against bad.  Just simply be good.

Do that which is good first –and do it right away.  When in doubt about the goodness, do those things with reservation, speculation, and with all due consideration.