The Lack of Yin-Yang in America

The yin-yang symbol holds its roots in Daoism/Taoism, which is a Chinese religion/philosophy. In the short clip attached, John Bellaimey explains why we all contain the spirit of yin and yang and what each side of the symbol represents. The dark side is associated with femininity and shadows. The yang is the lighter side that represents brightness, passion, and growth. John Bellaimey breaks down the yin-yang symbol and its meaning into simple metaphorical examples and clarifies the meaning and history behind the symbol, which is commonly misunderstood by those not educated in the Chinese culture.

https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-hidden-meanings-of-yin-and-yang-john-bellaimey

While the yin-yang symbol emphasizes balance and the importance of having both sides of what the symbol represents, American culture is far from embracing the symbolic representation or any deeper meaning that the yin-yang symbol represents. During class discussion, several American culture values were brainstormed by the group. One of these values, success, stood out to me greatly. Americans are focused on being incredibly busy with achieving, regardless of the form of that achievement. There were several lines from “Tao Te Ching” that emphasize the importance of balance even with a value like success:

11: “Clay is fired to make a pot. The pot’s use comes from emptiness….Having leads to profit, Not having leads to use.”

24: “According to Tao, Excessive food, Extraneous Activity Inspire Disgust.”

With the importance of success in the American culture today, it is difficult to find usefulness in emptiness and avoid extraneous activity. However, the teachings of Taoism emphasize the importance of balance and not focusing too heavily on one thing. The opposite of success is failure, but Americans do not value failure nearly as much as its opposite. Taoism emphasizes the beauty in this balance of accepting both as the way of life.