Yin and Yang

Most people are familiar with the yin and yang symbol, and they're probably also familiar with the basic meaning behind this symbol. Yin being the shade/moon (darkness) and yang being the sun (light). It's a symbol that has been both used and abused by many and there's countless of different interpretations as to how you should apply the symbol and the meaning behind it. However, I think there's a very fundamental meaning behind the symbol that most people can derive great benefit from.

Yin and yang are two opposite entities, however, they're still inseparable. This is what the german philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel talks about in his monumental work "The Logic of Science". Hegels term for this phenomena (when two entities are identical, but still opposite to each other) is "Fürsichsein". Let's deconstruct this term. Take for an example yin and yang as darkness and light. These two terms are very different and they serve two different purposes, however, you cannot have light without darkness, nor can you have darkness without light. Hegel explains it in a different, but very explicit way: every specific 'something' is only 'something' due to its negation (=its something else). You cannot, meaningfully, talk about 'war' without talking about 'peace' as well. They are two different concepts, but yet, they are still the same. They are 'unity' and 'opposite' at the same time. This is why Hegel describes 'Fürsichsein' as a negation of the negation. This is a process, that Hegel sees in every concept whether it's an emotion, a system, an ideology, etc. You cannot view concepts in a vacuum, which is one of the beautiful meanings encapsulated by yin and yang. (Side note: this is why I have much more respect for people who can dive into the complexity of a certain concept instead of being fixated on a specific answer. Life's made up of variety, not a static vacuum)

Let's look at yin and yang from a practical angle. How should it be incorporated into everyday life? Should it be incorporated at all? The problematic tendency that I often see is, that people do not install the negation from the beginning. They might begin to practice X (yin), but they do not install practice Y (yang). This tendency will significantly inhibit the holistic nature and complexity of any practice there is. The two opposite poles should be installed in your life from the beginning. Another familiar name for this concept is 'balance', which is the foundation yin and yang has been built on. Good luck on your road to become a successful powerlifter without incorporating mobility or stretching, good luck trying to become a big influence within politics if you cannot find comfort within the art of playing, good luck trying to become a good teacher without knowing how to be a good student.

It might be an ancient concept, but the symbolic meaning encapsulating it is crucial for everyone's existence.