Ideas to Create Unity

Apr 7
08:02

2011

Betty-Ann Heggie

Betty-Ann Heggie

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A wise Facebook friend emailed me to say that the concept of masculine and feminine energy is symbolic of the many dualities in our lives, and that we all seek unity. This statement caused me to pause and consider dualities such as you/me, us/them, mind/body, good/evil, active/passive, right/wrong, happy/sad, love/hate, and black/white.

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A wise Facebook friend emailed me to say that the concept of masculine and feminine energy is symbolic of the many dualities in our lives,Ideas to Create Unity Articles and that we all seek unity.

This statement caused me to pause and consider dualities such as you/me, us/them, mind/body, good/evil, active/passive, right/wrong, happy/sad, love/hate, and black/white.

A state of duality perceives a world that is divided, but a state of unity understands the world as an integrated whole. Organized within a hierarchy, duality is grounded in the belief that “I am right, while my opponent is wrong.” Unity, meanwhile, is established in the form of a circle, in which our differences complement one another as if to say, “We’re all in this together.”

I experienced this while working in Corporate. With high aspirations for our company’s performance, I routinely asked people in other departments to step out of their respective silos, giving up their individual interests. By setting aside our differentiating factors, I believed that we could support a higher cause. These requests, however, were usually met with a lot of resistance.

The following are some of the things I learned to help take people from duality to unity:

1) Drop all distinctions and find common ground. List the things that both parties agree on and focus on those, rather than on the areas in which you differ.

2) When differences arise, listen and give others time and space before reacting to their comments. This tactic diffuses tension, ultimately reducing the struggle.

3) Recall instances when you shared agreement with your opponent, taking note of the sense of exhilarating success that you experienced in that moment. Allow that memory to shape your current interaction.

What I ultimately wanted in those meetings was the same as what we all want for ourselves: unity, rather than duality. Just as those individuals who criticized another department were in reality critiquing themselves, so too is it with our interactions with ourselves. We all possess both masculine and feminine energy; if we can accept this duality in ourselves we can allow both to influence us in a positive manner.