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Culture & Religion — September 25, 2011

Why to Abandon an All-or-Nothing Mindset

Black and white thinking gives us a (false and temporary) sense of security and control over life’s uncertainties but in reality it narrows our vision and creates insecurity.

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We often inspire undue stress and anxiety by viewing our existence with a ‘dualistic mind.’ For example, in terms of: right or wrong, good or bad, strong or weak, smart or stupid, success or failure. Black and white thinking gives us a false sense of control over life’s uncertainties but at the cost of narrowing our vision and creating insecurity.

What’s the Big Idea?

Philosopher Alan Watts said it best: “Looking out into the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.” So when you identify a dualistic thought, take five minutes to respond differently. Some replacement thoughts: I will give up needing to be right and accept that all circumstance is neutral, I will be more reflective than reactive, I will accept that I cannot have certainty about most things right now.

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