The Yang and the restless

Lately, I’ve been hearing terms like “holistic,” “wellness,” “chi,” “yin and yang,” and “harmony” seeping into everyday talk.  You hear people saying things like, “Well, everything has its yin and yang,” or “You know, your approach should not focus on one thing — it should be holistic.” 

At first I said to myself, “What the heck is all of this baloney?”  Initially, I dismissed all of it as just New Age-thinking gobbledygook — you know, promotional gibberish that marketing executives of spas came up with to put a nice spin on what they’re offering, which is basically just a light massage with a lot of scented oils and sleep-inducing music. Lately, even real estate companies have joined the fray.  They come up with ad campaigns like:  “Achieve harmony and discover wellness in a holistic community environment.  Start living in Smokey Mountain Heights, where one whiff of the air can put you to sleep — permanently.” 

But you know, lately, I’ve been reading some articles about all the yin-yang stuff and, as it turns out, there’s actually more to it than just a play on words.  I read this article entitled “Yin and Yang: Getting into the Flow” by Marcia Montenegro.  Initially I said, oh, no, another one.  But since I was bored at the time, I decided to browse through her piece.  And lo and behold, I actually became interested in it.  First she talked about the classic yin-yang symbol, which is circular, half-black and half-white, with a small dot of white on the black side and a small black dot on the white side. This symbol is called the Tai Chi Tu. Many believe this symbol represents balance, peace or harmony. Others believe that it means there is a little bad in the good, and a little good in the bad, which basically means there is no absolute good or evil.

But as I read the piece, one question kept popping up in my mind: What does yin-yang really mean? (According to the piece, the origins of yin-yang are associated with Taoism, a religion widespread in China several hundred years before Christ’s incarnation on earth. In Taoism, the Tao, loosely translated as “the Way” or “the Path,” is the origin of all things and the ultimate reality. Happiness is supposedly gained by living in the flow of the Tao, which is the flow of the universe.  Whoa.

But where do the yin and yang come in?  Here’s the explanation (I suggest you take a shot of vodka as you read this):  “Through the dynamics of yin and yang, the female and male cosmic principles (wow, heavy), the Tao, creates all phenomena. Whereas the Tao is perfectly harmonious, the cosmos is in a state of constant dis-equilibrium. The forces of yin-yang arise from a belief in dualism, a state in which the universe is seemingly equally divided into two opposing but equal forces.”   In physics, I guess the equivalent of that would be “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Anyway, the piece continues, “The dualistic world of yin-yang, however, is not seen as good versus bad. It is divided along other lines. Yang, represented by the white in the yin-yang symbol, stands for the creative principle, while yin, represented by black, is dissolution and a return (to creation). Yang came to represent hot, dry, male, light, hardness, movement and initiative. Yin, on the other hand, represented coolness, moistness, female, darkness, softness, stillness and receptivity. The yin and yang forces are believed to be cyclical, moving and evolving into each other, represented by the white dot on the black yin side of the symbol, and by the black dot on the white yang side. In this view, the universe depends on the interaction between these two forces, which arise from the Tao.  The way to be content is to balance between these two forces and thus find harmony in the Tao.  In this view, opposites are not really opposite; they just appear that way to us because we perceive through dualistic conditioning and cannot see how opposites are really part of the whole. Opposites supposedly contain the essence of each other, and eventually merge with each other.

Now, I wouldn’t really say I had an “a-ha” moment when I read the piece. Frankly, I found everything a bit too heavy for my taste.  But I must admit, it made me think. It did make some sense. That’s not saying I am now a convert to Taoism.  In fact, I don’t want this piece to spark any religious discussions.  What makes this whole yin-yang thinking interesting to me is the highlighting of the multi-dimensional aspects of everything — including people.  If yin-yang does exist, I would say that I have experienced it.  There’s a lot of that paradox in me — a lot of seemingly opposite forces pulling me from different sides — and yet, it’s these various forces that make me who I am.  Emotionally, there’s the serious Rod; then there’s the comedic Rod.  Professionally, I can be a serious businessman, but I can also be a wacky creative artist (writer).  Attitude-wise, I can be a worrier at times, but I can also be an optimist.   In terms of personality, I can be very formal, but there are moments when I can be totally jeproks. There’s a lot of push and pull from different, sometimes opposing, forces.  And because of that, there’s a lot of restlessness in me.

On one hand, it’s a troubling thought. It gets confusing at times.  But there’s a good side to all this yin-yang pushing and pulling, and all this restlessness.  Because if you don’t hold back and allow all this pushing and pulling to flow through you, you just might discover something good in you that you never knew before — a discovery that can make you view yourself in a more holistic light.

One perfect example I can think of is McDonald’s top honcho, George T. Yang, whose own family name encapsulates what I am talking about. Yang is primarily known as a successful businessman.  But now, a lot of people are discovering that there’s more to him.  Yang is actually a very good opera and classical singer. His passion for singing started out as a hobby.  He would be invited to sing at various events, such as wedding receptions and parties. Then his close friend, renowned singer and composer Jose Mari Chan, persuaded him to cut a CD.  Yang decided to go for it, and he came up with a CD entitled “Yang at Heart” in 2002. Not much later, another friend encouraged Yang to try classical music because he was a natural tenor.  Two other CDs followed: “Forever Yang” and “The Night is Yang.”  Soon, the stage beckoned. He began enchanting everyone with his ebullient showmanship in his first solo concert in 2006 during the Sterling Night of Music, a charity ball organized by Ronald McDonald House Charities, singing with no less than the Megastar, Sharon Cuneta.

One thing led to another after that. Recently, he was invited to act in an international play, playing a cameo as a Supreme Court Chief Justice in the musical Something to Crow About, which toured New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, USA. It was a very successful show (the shows were based on stories by Dr. Alejandro Roces, under the direction of Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, Dean Raul Sunico and Frank Rivera).  His outstanding performance later got a nomination at the prestigious 2007 Aliw Awards.  How about that?

First, it was tycoon George Yang.  But he wasn’t satisfied with that.  He felt there was more to him than just being good at business. He allowed the yin-yang forces in him to flow and thus discovered his new passion: singing.  So after building his business empire, George is now a bona fide recording artist, releasing his first album through Universal Records, aptly entitled “Always Yang.”  I was given a copy by my good friend, Margot Torres of McDonald’s.  And I must say, I’m glad Mr. Yang discovered his “yang.” My iPod is a lot more interesting with his music.

In line with his new passion, Yang has put up Klassical Foundation to help budding artists harness their craft.  Now anyone with talent in classical music has a shot at being successful. 

Moral of the story:  Don’t allow yourself to be stuck with one thing.  Life has many facets.  You are not defined by your job … or your career.  Find your talents and you will eventually find your whole self.

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Thanks for your letters, folks!  You may e-mail me at rodhnepo@yahoo.com.