I
am a martial artist and an acupuncturist - these two go hand in hand.
At its essence, both martial arts and acupuncture are about
interactions; between individuals, between the mind, body &
spirit, between the physical and ethereal.
It
is a human necessity to separate the world into smaller parts;
without separation, we could not discern left from right, hot from
cold, self from other.
Since
this is such a fundamental part of life, it is of no surprise that we
separate even our own selves into parts. It is vital to our survival
that we understand the difference between our hand, head, chest,
lungs, heart, etc., so that we may perceive ourselves and our
condition.
The
purpose of this separation is to allow us to have a different
understanding for each component - the lungs are for breathing, the
heart is for pumping blood, the brain is for thinking and so on.
It
also helps assess appropriate dangers posed to us - we react more
defensively towards objects approaching the face than we do objects
approaching the arm or legs. Thinking a little bit more abstractly,
things which pose danger to the body do not necessarily cause harm to
our mind or soul.
A
falling object could pose a threat to our body, while a tragic event
more directly affects our emotions. (Just for the sake of
convenience, I'll make the distinction that my interpretation of the
mind "thinks" while the "soul" feels or
experiences.)
Endless
argument can be made regarding how we can best separate and divide
the parts of a whole, but there is no absolute authority we can
consult on where the mind ends and soul begins. It is forever a
topic of discussion whether a mind can exist without a soul, or
whether the body houses the mind and soul, etc., but that is not the
discussion which I wish to make.
The
inherent danger of dividing the body into such pieces or differing
aspects is the danger of losing sight of the whole picture. We
easily forget that this process of separating and studying parts is a
product of our analysis, and that we are observing the individual
parts of an entire system.
It
is important to remember that we are the ones who have separated the
world into physical and ethereal, within our own minds, to establish
our own understanding of the world. It is only our approach and
preconceived notions which form our understanding.
Without
the filter of our own perspectives, there is no physical existence
that is diametrically opposite to an ethereal existence. Existence
is a unified whole - we simply like to separate it into its fractions
so that we may hope to gain further understanding of it.
According
to some native American philosophy, the term "woods" not
only include the trees and plants of an area, but all the creatures
and phenomena which occurs within. This is in contrast to a
more modern approach which sees the animals as separate entities
which live within the woods, rather than a part of the woods
themselves.
Our
separation of physical and ethereal are very much like this - the
distinction between the trees and animals are not inflexible - if one
were hunting, one must clearly make a distinction between wood and
animal to be successful, but in the case of forest preservation,
saving the ecosystem is as vital as saving the trees.
So
how can we apply this to our health? If we were to think of the
trees of a forest as representing the physical, the tangible and
rooted existence of our bodies, the animals would reflect the dynamic
and more rapidly fluctuating nature of our spirit/mind/soul.
In
Asian philosophy and medicine, this dichotomy is referred to as the
Yin (physical) & Yang (ethereal). There are a few important
things about this symbol, some obvious, some more subtle.
The
most obvious aspect that most people notice is that each aspect
contains within itself some degree of the opposite aspect. Yin can
be found within the Yang, and Yang can be found within the Yin.
A
bit more subtle is the realization that Yin & Yang cannot exist
in isolation of one another - simply imagine a black and white Yin
Yang symbol without either black or white. The symbol ceases to
exist. What this represents is that both Yin and Yang only
exist when we separate something into two different parts.
One
of the origin stories of the Yin & Yang is associated with an
observation made of a hill - when the sun rises, the east side of the
hill was bright and well-lit (Yang = Brightness), while the west side
of the hill was cast in shadow (Yin = Darkness).
If
there were no hill in this story, there could be no distinction
between the bright side of the hill in contrast with the shaded side.
This
origin story is also useful in visualizing another characteristic of
the Yin & Yang. As the sun rises high, and is directly overhead,
the bright portion, the Yang, dominates. The trees and cliffs cast
shade upon the ground, representing the small "dot" of Yin
during an overwhelmingly Yang time.
As
the sun declines to the west, the situation of the hills reverse; the
west side of the hill is now lit by the setting sun, while the east
side begins to darken in shadows. Once the sun has disappeared over
the horizon, the land is cast in darkness, which represents the Yin.
Although much darker than when the sun were up, there are still the
stars and moon which provide light (Yang) during this time of Yin.
When
the sun rises in the east in the following morning, the situation has
come full circle and begins again. What this shows is the cyclical
nature of the Yin and Yang. The reason why this aspect is often
missed is because the the drawn symbol appears static.
In
fact the symbol accounts for this limitation and tries to represent
its dynamic nature through its distinct "S-shape" division.
Rather than a straight line dividing the circle into two hemisphere,
the S-shaped division creates the look of two tadpoles swimming
around one another. The "tail" ends of the Yin and Yang
are intended to show movement, a spiraling or swirling of both sides,
perpetually switching places with one another.
Another
lesser known characteristic (or perhaps most overlooked) is the fact
that the Yin & Yang represents a greater whole. This seems like
an obvious statement, and perhaps it is easy to see when observing
the symbol, but all too often it is forgotten when applying the
concept to reality.
For
example...
If
modernized "Western" medicine is perceived in opposition to
the ancient "Eastern" medicine, much like the Yin opposite
the Yang, what seems to be easily forgotten is that both sides are
necessary to represent the whole symbol - in this case, representing
medicine & healthcare.
That
is not to say that every fad diet, reckless prescription, and health
craze are particularly beneficial to one's health (as more often than
not, it seems quite the opposite), but it does mean that opting for
appropriate surgery is not in opposition to holistic or alternative
medicine.
Simply
put, it is more important to find appropriate treatment for
appropriate illnesses and conditions, than to virtuously follow one
doctrine over another. It seems wasteful to limit our understanding
and awareness when we have such easy access to thousands of years of
knowledge at our fingertips.
The
most difficult thing is to determine what is appropriate, and I know
that there are rarely any easy answers. Being well-informed about
all applicable options is ideal, but takes a lot of effort and some
education on the fundamentals of health from various perspectives.
Unfortunately,
many people seem to think that they must commit to one side; western
or eastern, reductionist or holistic, ancient wisdom or modern
technology, when in fact, the best choice is somewhere in the middle
where the 2 sides are used harmoniously.
The
bias formed by committing to one side prevents us from seeing the
whole picture.
This
behavior may simply be hard-wired into our biology - for millennia
we had to know who our enemies and allies were, and dividing the
world into "us" vs "them" has been the heart of
almost all major conflicts.
Clearly
there are going to be differences in groups which can result in
friction and turbulence, but perhaps if we recognize that we are
simply two parts of a pre-existing whole, maybe we can stop dividing
ourselves into quite so many arbitrary groups.
Maybe
there is something wonderful/interesting/enlightening that occurs
when we see the bigger picture - I don't know, but I'd like to find
out.
