(this was drafted likely in 2019… ive forgotten my core line of thinking on this one)
On the Duality of Truths
I listened to brene brown’s podcast with former president Obama. Content was good! Slight awkwardness here and there, and over-enthused tones from the host - but how can one not be when meeting the president of the US.
I resonated deeply with it. Her descriptions of the concept she described has holding a duality of truths. Ie That we can seemingly accept opposites to be true - was how I defined to myself as ‘living in the grey’.
Its part of a general concept or belief that there are rarely absolute truths in many cases (the hard sciences notwithstanding). Digging up more information about the second truth you or your environment might be less familiar with is a key to maintaining a mental state of openness.
I once termed this ability as being intelligent of some sort, but maybe it’s also part of maturity and to a certain degree - confidence in your own beliefs and views.
It relates to Obama’s observation that the great sorting had occurred - people now fall neatly into one single category, blue vs red. Many staunchly so. He notes fewer conservative democrats or liberal Republicans than before, he suggests. This has made it more difficult to find common ground.
But even if one is comfortable with the existence of two opposites, how do you make decisions based off this?
On Binary Actions
I’ve largely been able to keep my thought processes and models flexible enough. Spectra is another useful way think about everything really. What colour is it? Is this right or wrong? All depends on its context, and leads to more ‘maybes’ and no answers.
But for alllll the gray areas and my consistent belief that things are not black or white, we live in a strange world of Binary decisions and actions. I can’t comb my hair and not comb. I cant be awake nor alseep. Each and every word typed here is a decision.
But if you’d indulge me in an abstract thought - the curious sci-fyey part of me contemplates worlds and universes (a new dimension), where intelligent life could act in a spectrum and non-binary way. Where the intangible intent is captured and materialised in the tangible and consequential action. Sounsd like a premise for a novel - with a hyper optimised world, filled with calibrated, appropriate thoughts and responses.
Not sure if this hidden dimension would be utopia or fiendish beyond my human comprehension.
But I digress….back to the real world. Thats a clear decision.