The paradoxical 'and'....

I was reminded recently about the paradoxical 'and' and it's proximity to the truth. I think we have forgotten this. For example, we may love someone very much and they also frustrate and annoy us and sometimes we may hate them. We may vote for a particular political party or leader and we may not agree with everything that they do. We may wish we had chosen a different path in life and enjoy the job that we do. We see the paradoxical 'and'' at play in the Enneagram too. For example healthy Eights will champion, defend and fight for those who are weaker and more vulnerable than themselves. Unhealthy Eights, however, despise vulnerablity and weakness and use their power to dominate and control those weaker and more vulnerable people. Healthy Threes have invested in themselves and value themselves and others. Unhealthy Threes have cultivated an image of value - whatever that may look like in their culture ((in Western cultures this is usually defined by looks, success and money) so that others will desire them, be impressed by them and so value them. The paradox is that the more they cultivate their image, the less secure they actually are about themselves and their self-worth - their image of success acting as a cover for feelings of unworthiness. It is important therefore to understand paradox. Life, and human nature, is much more complicated than either/or. Look for the paradox and often there you find the truth.

Here is an example of a paradox of nature: a bird that doesn't fly, that has flippers instead of wings, and... is still a bird.