Yin/Yang & Sexism

The yin/yang symbol shows that in everything resides a seed of its opposite. The important thing to do is keep things in balance. This is the classic orientation—turning clockwise, with yang up. Properly, red should be used instead of white, because red symbolizes fire—the most yang element.

Binary organizing, which yin/yang is, lends itself to sexism. It’s something to be conscious of, and to guard against. Ancient China bought into sexism in a major way (footbinding as an example) and it’s still not over that.

A true yin/yang symbol has two dots, and that says things are more complicated…. Computer software depends on binary organizing—one or zero. Mother Nature is more complicated than that—something that was yang in the past can become yin in the future.

We were all raised in sexist, racist, societies—but we can change that. We can consciously change our words so we don’t slip into old habitual patterns of using sexist or racist words.