I recently heard someone say that awakening begins when you can sit comfortably in the middle of a paradox. Then I had my Vedanta teacher explaining Maya (an enormous concept I will here simply explain as a veil of illusion by which we experience the world) as that which is real and not real at the same time. Boom, time to ponder…

We love to be right don’t we, to have the best arguments, to be convincing and make others see things the way we see it. Wars are fought over difference of beliefs; families are broken up over different views of the world; friendships go to pieces because individuals are so attached to what they think is correct they do not allow space for an alternative. People shout and scream at each other, sometimes getting into physical fights, because all of a sudden, the most important thing in the world is to be right, to win the argument and to have the last word. And social media… let’s not even go there!

Some ‘truths’ are more important to fight for than others, those that are about preserving Dharma, to limit harm and suffering, but for the most part, when the loud voices run out of things to say, the feeling of upset calms down and we retreat back into a stiller space, it is time to ask ourselves; what was that all about? Why is it so hard to listen to an opinion different to you own, what is that hot, bubbling feeling in your belly when someone tells stories that does not align with your own?

In yoga we work on softening the Ego (eventually for it to surrender) and to release our attachments, including to our thoughts and opinions. And still, within the spiritual realm, we keep arguing. Which is the right path, what is the best practices, what is awakening, who is awake, who is not (well, as long as we argue about it, we have some way to go…).

So, what do we do? Ha, answers to this can be many. But perhaps we can start by softening the edges of our hard held truths, try to step out of the argument and take some time to listen, even if the mind keeps reeling. We can practice being a witness to our own thoughts and reactions, until, one day, we can comfortably sit in the middle of two paradoxical opinions and still be at peace… in my opinion…