Either / Or Typology

Fill in the blank, please. Don’t overthink it. First responses are best.

There are only two kinds of people in the world — _____ and _____.

One of my favorites, because it is so relevant is “those that arrive five minutes early” and “those that arrive five minutes late.” I tend to be the former.

Duality is absurd, isn’t it. It’s rare that it creates an accurate depiction. It hides more than it reveals. It’s common that duality compresses reality into a spectacled farce. Forced choice has its moments, I suppose, but seems to be more about imposed bravado than nuanced understanding.

I was with friends recently who offered this duality, gaming style — “There are only two kinds of people in the world — a sack of shit and a son of a bitch. Which are you?” It was a great invitation to legitimize shadow. After all, few of us want that forced choice to define us. And to be fair, these friends offered complete freedom to choose and identify. There was beauty and honesty in both.

Absurd, right.

I have to admit I’ve been a bit grumbly when I hear people reference the need for non-duality. It’s triggered an odd, nested duality response — “you’re either for duality or not.” There’s no gain in that. But, I’m coming to realize that as simple as it sounds, this duality disposition is alive and well in much of contemporary society. It’s a sneaky and skilled hider — it can find the most simple stones, thoughts, experiences, expressions and such to hide behind. You can do a “duality sweep” of a room, or group, or self, and find it clear, only to come back five minutes later and find duality infestation. Yikes!

Absurd.
Punishing.
Disregarding.
Merely convenient.
Made for bad TV movies.

There’s five big red flags for me about dualistic thinking. I think I’ll play with this for a while. Call a few absurdities out to the front porch, so as to be seen and deliberately invited to stay and dwell for a while, or live somewhere else, or something else.

 

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