The Power of Paradox

Paradox.

The tension created by two things that cannot both possibly be true. Perhaps one truth negates the other. Perhaps they present an impossible timeline. Perhaps they are trying to occupy the same space at the same time. Whatever the reason, paradoxes arise when two truths are at odds.

When it comes to physical reality, paradoxes are worth paying attention to. If something is inconsistent or impossible, then it should be investigated and you should attend to it accordingly.

But in the realm of the human heart, paradox is not only not bad, but a fundamental part of the way we work. People desire, simultaneously, different, and at times, opposing things. This is totally rational and to be expected. See, people are not mere comparison calculators, measuring the worth of one activity versus another. If we were, there would always be a clear, even if sometimes close, decision. Rather, people are imaginative visionaries of possibility, spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually aligning with different paths, dreaming of how things could be. This is not a mathematical process. It is dreaming, and bringing into being.

Not only do we at times want opposing things, people are capable of being opposing things. One person, at one given moment, concerning one given thing, can be both cowardly and courageous, flustered and composed, engaged and distant.

Now, this impossibly broad range of desire and being can be both good and bad. For worse, it allows us to want the right, and still want the wrong. It means our actions can have deeply rooted inconsistencies that facilitate immoral action and still feel authentic. For these reasons, our paradoxical nature is to be treated with care.

For better, though, it lets us become impossibly perfect for doing good in the world. We can want our good and the good of others. Respect the individual and the group. Be practical and idealistic. We can be skeptical and confident. Brave and fearful. Elderly and youthful. Thoughtful and emotional. Salty and sweet.

No matter what, we are paradoxes. They cannot be eliminated, but that does not mean that all paradox should be embraced. Ultimately, it comes down to what you want your paradoxes to accomplish. What is it about you that makes people turn their head?

Is it how you can walk out of church and cuss people out in the parking lot? Or is it how you can be so proud of your life, but not look down on the lives of others?

Do you want people to wonder how it is you can be so selfish, and still be so unhappy? What about forcing them to think on how it is you manage to meet all your needs only worrying about the needs of others?

So break free of any expectation that you may tacitly live by, preventing you from becoming the greatest possible you doing the greatest possible good. You can be a solid softy. A peaceful badass. Innocent and sexy. Many in the course of human history have let his or her inconsistency bring harm to the world. Its time we let our paradoxes do some good.