The Yang Principle!
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Hope all of you are doing well, keeping yourself safe, socially distanced, and availing the vaccines whenever you are able to. Last week, we discussed about the feminine energy and how the Universal female needs to find her solid place in the society and the globe. I never like to leave anyone or anybody out in the cold. This globe or Earth is home to all and everyone. So, today why don't we discuss the other part- the yang energy, divine masculine or Shiva or as in Sanatana Dharma, Purusha.
But before proceeding with the post, let us elaborate a bit on yin as well as the yang energy. This is the ancient Chinese concept where every person has the yin- the feminine, receptive or fixed energy, the passive element as well as the active, masculine, ambitious energy- the yang. According to the gender the person finds themselves in this life, the percentage of energy can be more or less. But whatever the gender, the receptive, passive element if becomes equal to the active, ambitious element, the person becomes very balanced. This is not in the outer body, but within the mind and the emotions.
Yes, as all of us are living a human, material life, we can be thrown into one side or the other if stressful, tough or painful circumstances shows up. At that time, we would act in a very human, passionate and emotional way. That is absolutely okay. Remember we are humans, not artificial intelligence or robots. So, it is a must to express emotions, sometimes even to stand up courageously for one's values, principles and perspectives. But to be in a constant fight or flight mode is not good.
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| The Yin-Yang symbol of balance and harmony. We can see a small part of the other within each. So, yin has yang and yang has yin Image credits - Pixabay.com |
This shows the person is not balanced or has some root cause either they don't like, don't want to look at, won't acknowledge or is unaware of. There was a time in my own life where I used to feel deep anger and frustrations. The cause, a stuck, stagnant and good for nothing career. Until I looked at it and started to take steps to change, improve, fix or transform it, I felt deep inner anger and frustrations. Nowadays, instead of feeling angry and frustrated, I intend and take actions; sometimes would stand up and defend my values, principles, interests, purpose and career. So, if something is not working as per the intentions of the Soul or heart, the person feels deep anger and may not even know the reason for it. It is the way, body and emotions letting them know, something is not okay.
It is human to become upset or emotional and give two cents of our mind. But when we are alone and just with ourselves, do we feel joyful, balanced and at peace? Because it is at this equality of the masculine and the feminine energy within our mind and emotions, we can feel peaceful and utterly creative. Chaos and confusion obstruct creativity. For our deepest passions, creativity and emotions to flow, our mind and its energies- both yin, the feminine and the masculine, yang should be aligned, harmonious and at peace with each other. This yin-yang coexisting and interacting with each other brings balance and peace.
The masculine energy of humanity: This post is not about the masculine gender. Nope. This post is about the masculine side or the yang principle within each individual. (But now a slight difference of concept arose in my mind, the difference between Sanatana Dharma and Chinese principles. In Shiva-Shakthi concept, Shiva is the passive element or the potential and Shakthi is the active element, the one who takes the Shiva energy and gives it a form. So, in that concept the clay is Shiva and the hands that uses the clay to mold it into a pot is Shakthi. But in the yin-yang concept, the yang (Shiva in Hinduism) is considered the active element. This shows how some cultures used to look at concepts differently. But today the post is about masculine or yang as the ambitious, active essence. So, let us discuss from that perspective. If we have clarity in our mind and thought process, even with very different concepts, we don't get confused. 😊)
So, back to yang or the masculine energy. This world has been ruled by the masculine energy for thousands of years. That was a necessity as the humans first appeared as cave men and later evolved to become the form we see today. The passive or docile feminine energy was not effective when humans had to fight with elements or wild animals or nature. So, the physical strength was needed to ride a horse, wield a sword, build a town or protect the tribe or oneself from the wild animals. The physical strength was very much needed for protection as well as sustenance.
In the cave men or hunter/gatherer days humans especially men had to walk for days or even months to find food or a good place for shelter. At that time, physical strength helped to keep them safe as well as build the facilities and amenities. Same way, strength helped humans to make agricultural towns and dwellings. So, the physical and muscle strength were given more importance. The emotional needs of the home and hearth were taken care by the females or the ladies of the group. So, in these dynamics the human males slowly started to lose touch with their own emotions and the ladies started becoming more physically weak. So, in these dynamics males became more and more physically driven to achieve, conquer or dominate.
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| Shiva, the masculine form in Hinduism Image credits - nImAdestiny from Bangalore, India, via Wikimedia Commons |
What have we seen in the last five-thousand-year history of the human race? This aggressive conquest of land, other kingdoms, regions or ladies became the norm of the ancient times. As physical and logical mind was given more weight, the emotions took a back seat. We can see the effects and ramifications of the same even in the current modern society. Even though many regions have a good government, there are still many parts of the world where an outcome is decided using wars, battles, guns and terrorism.
Has the masculine side of the humans fully lost the kind, compassionate and emotional side that the feminine brings to the table? As we discussed in the first paragraphs, the balance and harmony within a society, human or culture is brought about only when the feminine as well as the masculine sides are equal. One side should not overtake the other. In such a case, balance is lost.
War hungry masculine: We have to wonder, the way the world was governed for the last five thousand years, have humans become war mongering, not able to resolve issues through dialogue, diplomacy and in compassionate ways? Let me, share a few links, Contemplate on it. Isn't it the same dynamics and actions we were taking as cave men and has anything really changed? The current societal climate of Afghanistan, the political issue in Russia, the eastern dynamics, the news under Associated press about Middle East and Africa. In almost all of the links it is to conquer, strong-arm or annihilate the other. But we have to wonder, isn't the Earth very much ours and theirs? Who is this us and them?
Whomever we see as the other, they, alien or foreign didn't come from another planet but from this very same planet called the Earth. So, as humans aren't we short and shallow sighted? Sharing a video of the American astronomer Carl Sagan who shows how in the Universe or outer space terms Earth is just a dust particle among innumerable other dust particles. It is all about perspective and perception. This blog is about seeing the same Universal energy weaved in another human, a different vessel of a body that the Soul chose to live this life. Are we allowing the world to become a man's world making it a war or ego hungry humanity?
Isn't that the truth? As cave men we were fighting, as Middle Ages people we were fighting and as modern age humans we are still fighting. As cavemen, the masculine was using branches or rocks, in the Middle Ages swords or spears and now it has become guns and nuclear weapons. Even now we are giving the clarion calls, ego boasting and chest thumping tactics calling the enemy to come and fight. Only, in the modern times we do it in suits, coats and with handshakes. For true diplomacy and dialogues, do we need guns and nuclear war heads?
But if one side is using guns or poisons or underhanded tactics, the other side cannot be naive and all welcoming. The first rule whether it is a human, society or country is to protect oneself or itself. But that protecting oneself also should not overtake and negate the other side. Here, let us look at the Great Seal of the United States of America. An Eagle is depicted with outstretched wings, a bundle of thirteen arrows in the left claw and an olive branch in the right, where there is supposed to be thirteen leaves and thirteen olives. Thirteen was the number of states that first joined the union called the United States. Even with it holding the arrows in one claw, the head is turned towards the olive branch signaling, the country even though has war capabilities (arrows) is always turned towards peace and diplomacy. (But I have to wonder, are the 70+ million people who voted for the other candidate than the current President ever checked the Great Seal of the United States? Probably not!) The Eagle in its beak holds the banner that portrays E Pluribum Unum - Out of many, One!
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| Great Seal of the United States. Note the olive branch as well as the arrows Image credits - U.S. Government, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons |
The same concept can be extrapolated to think as out of the seven billion humans, one Earth has been formed. This concept comes in Sanatana Dharma as well- Vasudha Eva Kudumbakam- Earth is "the" family! The concept comes again and again in many religious scriptures and philosophies. So, why as humans especially the masculine who has been ruling this world for around five thousand years cannot accept this point of view? Even today many of the females or other genders are suppressed and repressed. I am not trying to put the masculine under a spot light. I am only pointing that we as humans can live a more compassionate, kind and nurturing life towards the other. That may be where the answers for a more peaceful and prosperous life or globe lies.
The compassionate masculine: Let us discuss the compassionate masculine. The masculine energy in the human form that takes pride in protecting and taking care of those who depend or exist under their care. Let us take a genuine and honest police officer. As a very common man or woman, don't we feel deep comfort, safety and peace, when such a police officer comes to assist us in case we got involved in a mishap or an accident? Why do we feel that deep comfort and peace? Not so with another egotistic, arrogant or know it all person. The kind person above accessing their masculine through the logic also is accessing the emotions or the divine feminine, their nurturing and caring side. The side that comes when a father is taking care of his baby son or daughter. The deeply emotional and loving nature of the masculine.
Every male was a baby or toddler with emotions and compassion. How does it get lost when they become adults? Is it necessary to lose that deeply caring side and become all macho when the person becomes an adult? Every lady I have talked to always opens up and elaborates on the kindness and compassion they felt from their father or spouse or son or cousin brother. For that matter, I have come across a lot of females in my fifty years of my life. The particular feminine eyes become all shiny, sparkly and joyful when they talk about such a masculine in their life- whether the grandfather, father, husband or son. So, the feminine is not looking for a macho personality of a male.
So, why the global masculine has to put on that egoistic or chest thumping male attitude? By putting on that mask or persona aren't they actually rejecting or suppressing their own caring side that is going to earn them more respect in the eyes of the others? Let us take the examples of Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Dalai Lama. What sets them apart from others? What was so different about them? All of them above being leaders and males were deeply caring and compassionate. Very compassionate beings.
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| The compassionate masculine Image credits - Pixabay.com |
Under their guidance, whole countries or group of people felt nurtured, comforted or deeply cared for. The African Americans who until then were treated like useless felt valued and cared for under President Lincoln. In scores they signed up to fight with the northern Union territories. It was the value and care they felt coming from a President. The same was the case with Gandhi or King. All of them were very ordinary human beings, males to start with. What set them apart was the deep compassion, nurturing attitude and care they felt for other humans who were struggling.
Why only look at political personalities? Think about Jesus from Christianity or the Mughal emperor Akbar. They instead of fighting wars used compassion and love to conquer and put victory flags on the minds and hearts of people. Jesus became a movement in the eyes of the Romans. The Hindus deeply respected and listened to Akbar, a Muslim king. To show his solidarity with all of his people he even married a Hindu princess Jodha Bhai. It was his compassionate attitude that made him the greatest Mughal emperor among four to five others. Where fight or wars cannot win, kindness and compassion always win. But that also asks not to become doormats. Kind and compassionate doesn't mean weak and meek.
The Yang Principle: So, from the above points it can be seen that the masculine acquires more beauty and elegance when above the masculine, also embraces the feminine or emotional side. The pride in protecting and taking care of the other beings under their care. Not an arrogant, macho, selfish pride, but the deep, caring and nurturing pride of doing something the masculine is extremely good at- protecting, providing and taking care, but in a very compassionate way. If all these leaders can do it, can't the everyday ordinary masculine? Sure, they definitely can.
But here it is not enough for the masculine to be physically strong, but it asks for mental as well as emotional maturity. If we open any business or leadership magazine, it declares above intellectual quotient about emotional intelligence. What is this emotional intelligence? It is to understand above logic the emotions of others. Any major decisions or enterprise never happened with mere logic alone. No. Above logic, the emotions of the people, or followers or country men need to be captured whether it was with Indian Independence, Civil war of America, bringing down the Apartheid regime of South Africa or the Civil Rights movement. It was never logic alone, but deep mature emotional intelligence.
Remember many males have tasted the nurturance and care of their parents. Why it should get lost in the middle or why it should be only for just the immediate family? Isn't the heart of every human big enough to hold love and compassion for seven billion humans? If such leaders, humans and males occur in this society, would there be a knee on the neck, a snake bite victim in Kerala, a dowry death in Kerala, a rape murder in India, silencing of Uighurs in China, female sex slaves in Iraq or Syria, women made voiceless in many households, Alexei Navalny sitting in the prison cell in Russia or seventy million people not protecting themselves against a virus and all ready to do a Capitol Insurrection?
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| The compassionate Yang principle Image credits - Pixabay.com |
The world in the twenty first century doesn't need arrogant, egotistic, macho and selfish masculine. Instead it needs caring, compassionate, nurturing, mentally and emotionally mature masculine that within a human above embracing the side of masculine also has the courage to access the caring, nurturing side of the feminine. The Yang working in tandem with the Yin to bring a beautiful, harmonious, peaceful and elegant human, society or globe. Would it happen, soon? Isn't it always better to have hope and trust? So, let us hope and have faith that such a masculine would walk the Earth and we would find such leaders amongst us soon. Until then, let us keep our fingers crossed and wait!