The Yin and Yang of Good

I was talking about Good and Evil with a friend the other day, and he said there was no difference between them, just that they were on different frequencies.  I can believe that.  Then another friend chimed in and started talking about Masculine and Feminine energies.  He mistakenly stated that discipline was on the side of "evil", although he didn't use this term.  

This made me realize that sometimes we have the mistaken believe that strength, harshness, or punitive discipline is negative.  I started to contemplate the Yin and Yang of Goodness.  

 YIN

​Nurturing
​Gentle
​Maternal
Allowing - Permissive
​Kindness - Mercy

Yang

Disciplining
​Forceful
Paternal
Strict - Restrictive
​Justice - Righteousness

This is a short list, and certainly it could be lengthened.  It is a worthy endeavor to examine your own patterns as they reflect how you interact.  When is is appropriate and good to be more masculine in the response to a situation, and when it the Yin energy required.

It is interesting to see in our political realm that the two parties have become divided on some illusion that one is Yin and the other Yang.  This is far from the truth, but it seems to be the illusion.  The Left is considered to be more Yin.  Soft on crime, allowing people to "Do as thou wilt."  But in reality there are punitive and controlling elements of this political party.  This illusion is evil, as by the definition of evil as a lie.  There is also a celebration of activities that are causing a great deal of suffering.  The normalization of self-mutilation of vulnerable populations, the supporting of and normalizing addiction rather than full abstenance and recovery for addicts, the allowing to stealing and the allowing of unborn children up to the 9th month to be aborted, in otherwords, the destruction of a living soul:  These things are evil.

The religious right also has evil elements regarding in particular condemnation and judgment, self-righteousness reigns in many circles.  The Catholic Church has been exposed for its pedophelia rings, and historically the "right" has been the party of War. But none of this is the  Christian doctrine.  Over and over in the New Testament we are told not to judge.  We are told not to kill.  We are told to follow the commandments.  

Clearly, this is not about political parties.  This is about understanding the complexity of goodness.  How can we move away from the illusion that all things permissive are good, and all things restrictive are evil.   

Well we must deepen our own understanding of Good and Evil, and help our children develop this compass.  This inner compass, which is the foundation for morality beyond religion, can be the greatest tool for advancing a just and kind society.