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Do you recognize this symbol?
For those readers who don't ... it's the symbol for the ancient Chinese notion of Yin Yang. How old is ancient? I don't think anyone really knows ... certainly more than 2,000 years. Some might claim that Yin Yang is a relic of the past and has no place in today's world. Not so ... The national flag for South Korea displays the symbols for both Yin Yang and another ancient Chinese notion ... the I-Ching. Hmm! I come to learn about Yin Yang late in life ... about 15 years ago ago I first learned the 'sound' of the words but I didn't know how to spell them ... certainly had no idea what the expression Yin Yang meant. In the beginning I think my mind filed the meaning of the expression "Yin Yang" in the same folder as the Western expression ... there are two sides to every coin. A few years after hearing the expression, I learned the proper spelling and the artistic rendition ... the image above.. I assumed the artistic rendition was just that ... some ancient Chinese artist drew a picture to convey the underlying intended meaning of Yin Yang with the goal of popularizing the notion within China., Similar to the several logos recognized around the world .. Nike ... the McDonalds golden arch etc. About 2 years ago my knowledge of Yin Yang took a giant leap forward. I discovered that the symbol for Yin Yang was not a work of art ... it is rather a work of 'nature' ... a rendition of how our planet operates within the universe. What a pleasant surprise ... a real game changer for me. Some say the notion "Yin Yang" is the bedrock of the Chinese civilization/culture. Some say the Chinese civilization is the only surviving indigenous civilization/culture in the world today. If the above 2 statements are reasonably true ... "if" ... one could conclude that whatever Yin Yang is ... it has intrinsic value for the entire human family. |