Emotion vs. reason

The concept of yin and yang is very dominant in Asian religions, as everyone is very much aware. In a way, they are polar opposites, but instead of fixing in an stalemate and ending up with a static equilibrium, they are ever moving and their balance is dynamic. This circular nature of things is also instilled deep in how people of the eastern cultures understand the world; some academic writers suggest that if westerners are keen to identify a start and an end, the Asian cousins are in turn in a loop, so to say. Projects versus processes. When yin gets very strong, yang also starts growing, thus forcing yin to shrink again, only to cause the opposite. There are four qualities to yin and yang:

1. They are opposites
2. They are complementary
3. They mutually transform (e.g. when yin reaches its maximum, it starts going towards the minimum)
4. They are in a dynamic equilibrium (e.g. when yin grows, yang shrinks, and vice versa)
   

In a way, emotion and reason can be seen through this lens as well. A widely held belief is that emotion and reason are polar opposites, but at the same time the complement each other. They also transform as a person goes through different phases, yet they (typically) remain in a dynamic equilibrium. But then, this is very subjective and dependent on the individual. Some people are more emotional than others, as can be overheard so often. So in a way, if we plot a one-dimensional line and define the left side as emotion and the right side as reason, then the average of where the subjective equilibrium is varies by person.

Different people also sway different amounts. This might be understood to be stability; the less you sway the more stable you are. Meaning that if we draw a bell curve around the average, the smaller the variance is, the more stable the person. The curve, of course, may not be a bell curve. Personally I am very often a very rational person, but that does not mean that I am not emotional as well. This year has been very emotional for me, and although extremely rational individuals often scoff at the uncontrollable nature of emotion, one should still not underestimate the power of emotion. This I've learned the hard way.

The dualistic nature of the situation, however, need not be a weakness or a problem. In fact, I think that it is in fact a strength, if one is able to tap into it. Emotion enables passion, and life without passion is not a life worth living. And passion, much like fire, must be kept a steady eye on as an uncontrolled fire will turn into a forest fire and consume everything. Similar to how passion will consume the individual. So reason, then, is the cool opposite of the fire-y emotion and keeps emotion in check. They are in a symbiotic relationship, as one without the other is a dead end. If emotion without reason is a forest fire, reason without emotion is a robot. And a person sways between the two, striving to find the right balance.

But ultimately, both emotion and reason are still meant to be subordinate to the individual. Much like neither fire nor water can ever be truly controlled, neither can emotion and reason. But they should be harnessed and the energy they create should, in the end, be used towards happiness. I am sure that this is nothing new, but as seems to be the case with me, I have to learn everything myself--and preferrably the hard way--before I can truly grasp it.