Yang

Discussion in 'Discussion' started by Ars Nova, Apr 23, 2014.

  1. Ars Nova Just a ghost.

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2009
    Gender:
    hungry
    Location:
    Hell 71
    2,986
    Shadow. Chaos. Evil. Fear. Death. No sane person would say they enjoy these things—We want to get rid of them, right? Or at least to have as little as possible. Pain weakens us, fear cripples us. Malice harms our fellows and ourselves, and the temptation to do ill is a constant source of misery. But is it possible that these forces complement the good, rather than oppose them? Could it be said that the negative experiences in our lives empower the positive? That our flaws are what truly make us divine?

    There's a quote from a certain source that always spoke to me: "I love everything about Tokyo, even the things I hate." Of course the prefecture is not as relevant, but the message itself has resonated with me from an early age. I came to understand that the things I loathe and revile serve to define me—that in their absence, I would be incomplete. I came to embrace the contradiction, in that the stronger my enemy, the stronger I became in response. I still seek to be rid of them, but now I understand that it's the struggle that matters, not the outcome.

    I want to hear instances of Yang in your lives. Things you despised at first, things that disgusted you, shocked you, terrified you... things that eventually gave way to good. A lost battle that taught you a better way to fight. A lost item that taught you the value of your possessions. A lost friend, who taught you to see things in a better light. Or something you thought you'd regret losing, that really just showed you how free you were without it.
     
  2. Amaury Legendary Hero

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2007
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Ellensburg, WA
    1,692
    Well, I used to be extremely terrified of bees, if that counts, and while I still don't particularly like them, I just don't think about it if they're around. Plus -- thankfully -- we haven't seemed to have many bees around since we took down the wooden shed in our backyard.
     
  3. . : tale_wind Ice to see you!

    Joined:
    Nov 19, 2010
    Gender:
    Cisgender Male
    Location:
    The Realm of Sleep
    3,745
    saw thread title; thought there was gonna be rwby

    This might start up some controversy, so I apologize in advance if it does, but I'd have to say my sexuality is/has been my yang.


    How do you think anyone would feel discovering that they're not straight? Compound that with strong Christian beliefs against homosexuality (the act; the attraction itself isn't sinful, but that doesn't stop the stigma) and conservative parents and, well, it's not fun. It didn't help that I'd already started isolating myself from Deity when all this started going down. For a long time I was miserable way inside and my self-hate grew exponentially as I noticed guys more and more and in...more ways, let's say. I was able to forget sometimes by focusing so much on other things, but it would crash down any time anything reminded me.

    Every summer, the LDS church has a week-long program called EFY (Especially for Youth) for, well, youth, ages 14 through 18. Starting when I was 14, I went every summer, met new people, had fun, and maybe learned a few new things, but nothing ever stuck; I never felt like I'd changed afterward. This last summer was my fifth and last year participating in the program. I went in hoping in the back of my mind for something a little more significant than in past years, but not really holding my breath. Long story short: I got much, much more than I was expecting.

    The biggest thing I got was a reconnection with God—confirmation from Him to me that He still loves me and always will, no matter what happens, because I'm His son and He can't not love me; confirmation that He cares about me; forgiveness for all the stupid, stupid things I'd done.

    Going back to the OP, this was ultimately a lost battle that taught me a better way. For years I'd hoped and prayed (when I actually did pray) that I could not be attracted to men anymore. As of right now, I'm not sure if it can or will ever go away while I'm alive, but I'm strangely okay with that. Does that mean I've accepted that I'm gay and I'm gonna eventually date and marry another guy? Not really, no. But whatever happens, I know that it'll all work out in the end so long as I keep trying my hardest to be the best person I can be.
     
  4. Lauriam I hope I didn't keep you waiting...

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2009
    Gender:
    Nonbinary she/he/it?
    1,348
    738
    At the risk of sounding over-dramatic, death. Naming only three: From the natural death of my great-grandmother when I was a toddler, to the murder of my childhood hero who taught me how to swing a baseball bat, to the slow cancer battle of my grandfather, these dark things have taught me to accept death as the inevitable thing it is, and to live my own life all the more fully. Death literally holds no fear for me now, though I suppose things might change when it comes my time. You never know something for sure until you experience it first hand. But, on the whole, the loss of so much life, while truly saddening and painful, has helped me to grow into a better person myself, and has taught me that life can somehow miraculously be both completely insignificant and full of unimaginable importance, coexisting in a perfect contradiction of itself. Sort of a Yin-Yang of its own, I guess.
     
  5. Ienzo ((̲̅ ̲̅(̲̅C̲̅r̲̅a̲̅y̲̅o̲̅l̲̲̅̅a̲̅( ̲̅̅((>

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2007
    Gender:
    Female
    Location:
    In your breadbin
    2,762
    When I was about 3 years old, I met this girl at this school meeting just before the first school year was about to start. I remember the conversation quite vividly because I, for whatever reason, really didn't like this girl and she didn't like me. "I bet you don't know what my house looks like!" Was apparently a bit of a 'I'm better than you!' statement from this girl to me and no I didn't know what it looked like because I had never been to her house before and so I repeated the statement because she wasn't going to one up me. And for whatever reason, we had a strong dislike for each other until school started. We came to school and she had walked into the corner of a table and had a horrible black eye so the teachers were trying to get someone to take care of her on her first day and for whatever reason, my hand shot up and I volunteered to look after her. We became friends after that and 16 years later she is my all time best friend who is going to the same uni as me. I wouldn't be where I am today without her, we have a friendship that means we can stop talking for a certain period of time and when we meet up again it's like no time has passed.

    I find all negatives in life to be incredibly important and shouldn't be taken for granted or thrown to the side. It is quite sad and I am not proud of it, but I have bonded quite a bit with the people I work with over moaning about how others work which in itself is a negative thing but it has allowed me to feel happier in my place or work because I get on with everyone but I am in no way proud of it.