A Double Edged Sword

The way things are depend on the vantage point you're seeing them from. You can take almost everything in life and see the pros and cons of it. There really isn't much that we can conceive of that is not a double edged sword.

Here's a good example of this. Let's look at light. Light can and does allow you to see everything. We can all agree that without light, our eyes would be pretty useless. Swinging the sword the other way, light can literally blind us. We have all experienced this in one form or another. It all depends on if the light is 'on your side'. Every night (provided you are in a rural area and there aren't clouds in the sky) you can look up at the sky and see a countless number of stars. This is because we are turned away from the sun. There is nothing blocking our view from seeing earth's window (the sky) to the cosmos. Everyday, we can only see one star. This is because when our atmosphere is illuminated with the sunlight, it effectively blocks or outshines all starlight coming our way. It "blinds" us. Of course this is not a bad thing. The sun also provides for all life on the planet. We have also seen this example of light used on smaller scales on a regular basis.

We can say the same for water. We are made of a majority of water. We need it for our very survival. On the other hand, we can drown if exposed to too much of it.

Fire can give much needed heat and light or it can destroy a person, their house, or even a city.

Electricity can power almost any of our tools and appliances or it can execute a man. More can be listed, but I'm sure you get the point.

Almost everything and every situation has a positive and negative attribute to it. The sword can usually swing both ways.

Perspective, acceptance, and the ability to adapt, give us the ultimate advantage over the double edged sword. In all of the examples above, as well as countless others; we have accepted and adapted to the nature of what is. As a result, we use it all to our advantage (most of the time). The same may be true of your current life situation and the way you work as a whole all the time. Understanding the nature of yourself can lead to you being on the right side of the sword all the time.

For more on making the best out of what is, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!