In Harmony
阴阳五行之道，万物皆在平衡
I found the second year of the pandemic more emotionally draining than the first. I was filled with hope when vaccines were developed, but the emergence of “variants of concern” shattered my plans to resume my activities and travel back to Singapore to visit family and friends. My daily newsfeed turned increasingly depressing – rising economic hardship, deepening rift between pro- and anti-vaccine factions. The world simmered in discord as I watched in horror, frustration and helplessness.
The more tumultuous the world became, the more I was driven to seek calm in nature. On cloudy days, I would pursue a shimmer of light. On monochromatic winter days, I would search earnestly for a sprinkle of color. In blizzards, I would wait anxiously for a fleeting moment of calm. Yin-Yang, the Chinese philosophical concept, prescribes that purportedly contrary forces may in fact be complementary and interdependent. It requires that we harmonize all things to safeguard continuity and balance.
At the outset, I did not understand what propelled my frantic quest for the opposites. But it began to dawn on me that this was all a subconscious attempt to reestablish harmony within and without.
