Playing with Paradox

In our world today we see the tyranny of the “or” in almost every aspect of life. For generations we have chosen between seeming paradoxes, only to stand now on the precipice of everything falling apart. The systems and ways of thinking that we have utilized up until now are no longer sustainable. We no longer get to choose between economic growth OR taking care of people, technological advances OR preserving the environment, being conservative OR liberal, tearing our societal systems down OR holding them up no matter what, good for the many OR good for the few, taking care of ourselves OR taking care of others, personal safety OR collective freedom… the list goes on and on. Instead, we must focus on finding new solutions, setting aside our differences and working together, and working towards a third way.

Paradox calls us to be both curious and vulnerable. In our society, we are often taught that knowing and being right is more important than curiosity. We are also taught that we should only show the best parts of ourselves to the world, giving people the social media highlight reel rather than the behind-the-scenes mess that often exists. Yet playing with paradoxes offers us the ability to stay open to many perspectives, to not know, and to be vulnerable and uncertain. Approaching the unanswerable questions of the Universe with playfulness provides us with a unique opportunity to simply be, without needing to be right, or even know what right is.

Ernest Holmes was very clear that we are Spiritual beings living a human experience. Yet so often we get caught up seeing from only one perspective that we miss what that means. If we are so focused on Oneness and the big picture that we miss opportunities to reach out and love and support one another, then we are not embracing the totality of our humanity. And if we get so caught up in the suffering and challenges of living in the world that we forget our Divinity, then we are missing out on the joy of being Infinite and Eternal. Science of Mind asks that we embrace this polarity of Humanity and Divinity and find a Third Way to navigate our lives.

This month, we are expanding our ability to Live Out Loud in every area of life through a playful exploration of paradox. Paradoxes are a natural part of life. The more that we can embrace this truth, the more we can find solutions to the major problems we are facing in our individual lives, our communities, and the world. We will explore what it means to develop a paradox mindset; how to use our curiosity and vulnerability to get comfortable outside of our comfort zone; and find that the opposite of an Absolute Truth is not a falsehood, but rather another Absolute Truth. Once we have deepened our own ability to play in paradox, we will apply this thinking to the paradoxes that inform and direct our lives in the world. And we will lean into using paradox to bring relevance to the idea of creating a world that works for everyone as we Play with Paradox Out Loud.