Why the duality of light and darkness isn’t just unique to Diwali; it’s the great paradox of life

It’s that luminously gorgeous time of the year; the much-loved Indian Festival of Lights — Diwali. Millions of people across the world celebrate Diwali by lighting oil lamps, wearing colourful clothes, feasting, making traditional sweets, and of course gathering with friends and family. Stories have passed through generations, about how Diwali has been a symbol of the spiritual victory of good over evil, the triumph of light over darkness, and hope over despair. It is a time to focus on all things bright and beautiful.

The concept of light over dark however, isn’t unique just to Diwali. This duality has existed across time, cultures, faiths and even literature, (remember Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde?) This duality is in fact the great paradox of life. Without darkness, there would be no need for light. Without evil, how do you define good? So, this means that one must exist for the other; something like Yin and Yang. According to the Chinese Philosophy of Taoism, “The word Yin comes out to mean ‘shady side’ and Yang ‘sunny side’. Yin-Yang is the concept of duality, forming a whole.”

So, if Yin and Yang — or Light and Dark — come together to form a whole, then one way to interpret this is that both elements must co-exist, even within us. Within us, we have a sunny side, along with the shadows. The bright side representing our positive mindset, good intentions, philanthropy; while the dark side could be anger, greed, jealousy. And the two must ebb and flow in order to co-exist.

For most people, good and evil are opposites. But consider the possibility that they are just two sides of the same coin? This would mean they’re inseparable, — intimately united at the same time. Despite their extreme differences, one couldn’t exist without the other. It is our light and darkness that makes us human, whole and complete.

As a meditation teacher, I start and end my session with ‘the light in me recognising the light in others’. But what about the darkness? It’s time we honour and acknowledge that too as a scared part of our growth. As a society, we have been taught to punish ‘bad’ and honour ‘good’. We have learned to label things black and white, right and wrong. But what if it’s just a heavenly shade of grey, swirling and intermingling together?

If we truly want to evolve, grow and transform our lives, it is necessary to look at our dark side, our deep shadows and what’s hiding inside. These ugly, frightening and broken parts of ourselves can show us where the light needs to shine, as it is only through the cracks that the light seeps in. Instead of villainising it, let’s shine a light on our inner darkness, heighten our self-awareness and free ourselves from the shadows we’ve been trying to conceal. Let’s embrace ourselves in totally. It’s always the flaws that make our beauty shine brighter.

wknd@khaleejtimes.com