Yin/Yang, Truth & Lies, Knowledge & Ignorance

The truth is simpler and more direct, while lying is more complicated—therefore you can classify truth as yang and lies as yin. (Note that you can never classify good or bad as either yin or yang—that’s the one thing you can’t do with the yin/yang concept.) Knowledge is yang. It comes from the truth of direct observation or studying scientific (impartial) truth. Ignorance is yin and it comes from either flat-out not knowing or willful ignorance (choosing to believe in lies). Scientific knowledge is based on years of careful study that has been recorded and it’s a great gift to humanity. Not accepting that gift of truth and basing one’s actions on ignorance can have the ultimate yin consequence—death. Ignorance (yin) is ultimately not compatible with life (yang).

Life (which is yang) in a pandemic calls for paying attention to scientific knowledge and acting on it. Plenty of people who are choosing to believe lies about COVID are ending up dead. Ignorance is curable with information that is true. Open bookstores in so called “red states.” I’ve said that before and that’s still my best advice. It makes information easily accessible to people who would likely otherwise stay ignorant. Without good information some people are going to go on trying to win Darwin Awards. (The awards that are posthumously given to people who die while doing something stupid.).

Important caveat: When using the yin/yang concept don’t ever do the sexist thing of applying the traits of categories other than male and female to the actual categories of male and female. That would indicate a very shallow understanding of the concept.