Yin yang

There was a video recently posted of a man who went to two rallies wearing a sign that said, "Free Hugs." If you haven't seen it yet on Facebook or YouTube, take a look below:

So....why the different responses? What made this happen?

Consider this...

First of all, I am not saying anything specific about the candidates in this blog post. Well, as much as I can that is. My opinion about the candidates really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. You can request it if you are curious in the comments.

With that out of the way, let us consider a few things. 

The first and probably the most obvious thing to consider is that there are a ton of variables to name here. Variables like location, temperament, time of day, individual belief systems, personal histories, location histories, just to name a few. Keeping this in mind, I don't think you want to read an in depth study that would cover all of the possible social and psychological elements that one could pull from a video like this, so consider these exist, they are noted, and are in the back of my mind as I continue to write. 

I do have to take a moment and quickly describe one of the variables however. That variable is a realtor's favorite ancient mantra: location, location, location. One of the rallies was in Wisconsin, while the other was in California. Looking at a Gallup poll taken back in February 2016, Wisconsin shows as a state that is up for grabs given the two candidates political parties, while California is mostly Democratic. While this could play a factor in why the responses were so different, I think it is safe to say that it still is fairly a small difference since it is highly possible that the experiment could be recreated in any state. Just something to consider about location. 

Now, consider Yin and Yang. Why? Well, it is because what they represent. I know that many of you have a general understanding, know that they are essentially opposite forces that create balance in the universe. But let me break it down if I may. First, let me clearly define which is which, for those like myself who seem to forget that little tidbit. 

1. Yin is dark and Yang is light.
2. Each contain a part of the other, to show that nothing in the universe is clearly one or the other. Even if you back one side, a small part of you will always work like the other. 
3. Yang is action while Yin is the end of action, or the peacefulness of inaction. 
4. Fire can be consider Yang, while Ice is Yin. 

Ok... I hope the point is made here. So, how does this relate, you ask?

As complicated as humans are in our physiology and deep psychology, we are equally as simple in our sociology and surface psychology. Basically, the vast majority try not to take the road less traveled on a day to day basis. There are exceptions to the rule, of course, but if a person looked at every decision, both little and large, they will see that in order to get a result quickly, they may find themselves relying on a step or process that was developed by someone else, or a process that can get the job done with minimal effort. This leads to another consideration to make, which is that we have to have it now, like Veruca Salt wanted the squirrel in "Charlie in the Chocolate Factory" (which if you haven't read it, do so as soon as possible). 

To be more specific about the "I want it now" mentality, we modern humans are pretty good at doing whatever needs to be done to shorten the amount of time to get something that we want, as well as increase the availability for said items. Instead of following the crops of corn and other vegetables like our ancestors did in the beginning, we have specific locations to grow our food now. Instead of running down animals for our nightly meal (which we humans are really good long distance runners), we have now found ways to keep the meat component of our meat and potatoes in a location that makes it easy for us to dispatch the deeds of Death and put the portions upon our plates. These are both examples to show that when it comes to choosing one of the two methodologies of support, we humans will consider which path in our lives is the simpler path to what we want, and will support that path with a level of ferocity that some could call kin to to a dog's need to protect its bone. 

If you look at each candidate in respect to the level of violence, or choice of action to better describe what you saw, it is probably clear which of the two is Yin, and which is Yang. Once you have clearly determined this definition, you can see how their messages perpetuate their side of the balance between Yin and Yang.  If you add that to the path of least resistance that we as humans prefer to take, we can begin to see the lines being drawn on things. In other words, while keeping the consideration the other variables that I mentioned in the beginning, we can begin to paint the picture of what the reasons are for the two extreme camps, and why people believe that violence is the answer in one camp, while a hug is the answer in the other. Based on an individual’s life, a person will float more to either Yin or Yang as your dominant direction to define your existence, because, and therefore will align with one of the camps because it is the path of least resistance to your Yin or Yang.

Now that you are thoroughly confused, here's an example. Let us paint a picture of a person whom we see as an intense individual. This person prefers to act as opposed to think, and ask for forgiveness as opposed to permission. those who know this person considers them as a workaholic. Given this picture, would he float the side of Yin, or Yang? Without the other variables, we probably consider this person to be a Yang individual, and if we consider what I have said, is more likely to flow with Yang related causes and points of view.

Another example... I use myself. I prefer to meditate, listen to chill music, and to stay calm as much as I can. So, I mostly seem more of a Yin individual, which means that I would most likely float to that side of the fence. You would be correct.

So, I leave you with this consideration... Look inside yourself and determine if you are more Yin or more Yang. Once you have done so, look into your beliefs and life events to find out if you follow more Yin or the latter. Once you have done that, then learn all that you can about the other side so that can begin to learn true balance. It will be that kind of thinking that will produce the results that you would like to see.

Link to the video if it does not play for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L_UKv19P9E