Yin Yang of Argument

Learn to change the dynamism of yin-yang when seeking solutions to an argument

Management – be it personal, family, social or business — boils down to the regulation of the yin and yang energies.

Knowing how the yin and yang energies work bring us closer to reality, enabling more effective management of whatever situations. The potential is even greater if you can go a step further by altering the energy flows thereby changing the dynamism.  You could very well gear the situation to your advantage as a result, or strike a new balance that benefits all parties involved.

To illustrate, let me give you an example of heated argument.

Ask yourself this question: What brings about a heated argument?

A heated argument can arise due to innocuous reasons, from a laughingly silly remark to an unintentional but impolite gesture. When the receiving party rebukes, an argument can ensue and if the bickering continues, the heat of the argument can escalates, sometimes to an uncontrollable degree.

Clearly the art of managing such situations is to lower the temperature of emotions. This is where an understanding of the yin and yang energies would come in useful.

In the yin-yang theory, a heated argument emits the energy of yang.  To lower the temperature of the heat, the last thing you ought to do is to introduce further agitation, which is also yang. This is because the yang energy added with more yang would tilt the balance further to one side – and the end result could be an unwanted fire.

What you should do, therefore, is to do something to avert the ‘yang-yang’ imbalance.  One effective way is to stay silent for a moment. Silence is yin in this case. Unlike rebuttal, it brings down the temperature and softens the disagreement towards the state of yin-yang balance, paving way for an amicable solution that can be beneficial to both parties.

It is like what Lao Tzu depicts in Tao Te King:

“Tao engenders One;
One engenders Two;
Two engenders Three;
Three engenders all things.
All things carry the yin (femininity)
while embrace the yang (masculinity).
Neutralising energy brings them into harmony.”
Tao Te Ching Quotes (42)

In this case, Tao is one. The moment when there are yin yang, heated argument and silence are duality of the situation. They make the two. When the two energies interact, a new yin-yang situation is created, known as three. If you can manage to neutralize by bringing in the calmness that cool the heat, the yin yang would be brought into balance becoming a harmony.

Thanks to This Year’s Love for the lovely picture.