YIN + YANG | JUSTINE + JENNIFER

Two different perspectives of the same situation.

I’m not sure about you, but I grew up in a bubble. I was surrounded by the same set of friends throughout elementary school and even to high school. We all grew up in church together, ate the same kinds of foods, listened to the same kinds of food, and got the same kinds of grades. We lived in similar houses and I became very sheltered.

When I met people outside of my bubble, I was surprised and almost repulsed to find that there were some people who didn’t think like me, or held similar values as myself. In fact, there were many who thought the entire opposite of me.

When you meet someone who thinks differently from you, it takes great empathy and understanding to meet them where they are. It requires a lot of self-awareness and humility. It took time for me to realize that meeting people who were different than me was actually a good thing.

Without differences, we wouldn’t balance each other out. Without differences, there is no accountability. And just like the subtle and delicate dance between yin and yang, so the differences between each individual should be handled with great care and respect. After all, it is our differences that make us.

Albert