"I am Everything and I am Nothing all at Once" : How to Resolve Dualistic Paradoxes

 

Today I am going to show you three different ways to solve the dualistic paradox "I am everything and I am nothing all at once".

To help me with this task, I will be referencing The Hermetic Principle of Polarity:

"Everything is dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled." - The Kybalion

First Method: The "half-truth" Method

This one's easy enough.

Paradox: I am everything and I am nothing all at once.

Resolve: I am some things sometimes.

Second Method: Unequal Opposing Forces

Have you ever heard this: "We would not understand good if we did not understand evil. We would not understand love if we did not understand hate.". This is a common belief people have that helps convince them that duality is necessary for our understanding. This belief is also based on the misconception that dualistic pairs of opposites are equal to each other; meaning that good is as powerful of a universal force as evil is.

This is simply not true. This is a dualistic illusion.

The idea that we wouldn't be able to understand what good is, if we did not understand what evil is, is false. In fact, the reason we are here is because we didn't understand what evil is. Many people here still don't understand what evil is. This is because good comes before evil. Evil is not an equal opposing force to good; evil comes after good.

Good and evil are a dualistic pairs of opposites which represents the spectrum of intention. Just because they are opposites does not mean they are equally as powerful. After all, most people are mostly good and just little bit evil, if not just a tiny bit evil.

Have you ever heard this: "All is love." This is a turn of phrase which represents how love is the basis of all creation. This makes love far more powerful than hate. In fact, hate is the most polarized expression of love. You will find that many dualistic pairs of opposites are this way. Negative is the most polarized expression of positive; negative is not equal to positive.

Paradox: I am everything and I am nothing.

Resolve: Nothing is a small part of everything.

Similar to the way it can't be perfect without being imperfect, it can't be everything without including nothing. If you leave nothing out then it is no longer everything.

Third Method: The Non-Dual Method

First, we need to understand what non-duality and duality represent. First, there is one. This is non-duality. Duality is created when one gets divided in two. This is where dualistic pairs of opposites come from: they are the two opposing polarities of the same spectrum. When we say "we are one", this means that the two becomes one again.

Duality is a representation of opposing concepts. We are coerced into the belief that we need to choose one or the other. For example, are you a good person, or are you a bad person? Well, you are both. This is what Carl Jung meant when he said we need to "integrate our shadow". We need to accept these negative qualities about ourselves so that we can become one again. We need to realize that both the feminine and masculine gender identities reside within us and that biologically, we are polarized. When we integrate our shadow, we won't have a need to feel guilty for our actions anymore, or proud of our ability to abstain from our darkest desires. These are appeals to our ego, and there is no "ego-death". There is only giving no fucks about what others think about us.

When we say "we are all one" it does not mean we are all connected. It means that individually, we are one. We are all one integrated identity. That way we retain our agency. Isn't that what we should want? If we are all connected, then there is no self. You might disagree with me. You might think that a collective ascension into unity consciousness is a good thing. That's fine, but count me out. "I" don't want to become "we". I refuse to be a part of the Borg.

So now, I can look within myself to resolve the paradox:

Paradox: I am everything and I am nothing.

Resolve: I am not everything and I am not nothing.

There, that's better. The paradox is resolved and the truth is revealed. I'll take my downvotes now.