The psychotherapist Esther Perel observes that “we all come into this world with a need for connection and protection and with a need for freedom. And from the first moment on, we will be straddling these two needs: what is me, and what is us? … this constant dance between me and you, between I and thou, is at the core of being human.” There is one version of the myriad and vast polarities that characterize the human condition.
The task is somehow to approach these disparities in a non-binary way. To hold the two halves of whatever world one is considering close enough together so that each magnetic pole can interact with the other, yet far enough apart to allow for a space in between to emerge and define itself. It is in the creative tension of the both/and that we find the juice of life.
What is me and what is us? Select any issue and you can see that this is where we find ourselves. Creativity and comfort rarely go hand in hand.
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