Recently, I have talked about dualism. Let’s wrap up and conclude this topic today. I named it the dualistic problem-solving method.
I also renamed the category name from ‘independent life.’ You can refer to this topic from the category dualistic problem-solving method.
Although I introduced a similar concept about how to be independent in an earlier article (this article), this is a more simplified version.
How to improve our lives
Sometimes, we desire happiness, especially in a hard time. Although many problems stress us, all we can do is endure because we don’t know what to do. Struggling means a state of not knowing how to solve our current problems.
In this struggling state, we often seek the cause. Typical questions are, ‘Why did this happen?’ and ‘What should I do?’ If we identify the cause, we can seek a clue to the solution. We can focus on the cause, analyze it, find what is effective, and practice it. Although it is a long way to go, we can take measures.
However, there is a problem: we often don’t know the true cause. In a chaotic situation like our usual life, everything seems to be the cause.
For example, it seems like someone else’s fault, but at the same time, it feels like our fault. We want to blame others, but we also know we have to change ourselves. It is an outside matter, but we know that our inner mind caused it. We cannot identify the true cause.
Another approach to solving problems
That makes us try to deal with all possible causes, such as a lack of money, a fault of our personality, our bad attitudes, our impatience, or sometimes our whole existence in the world. Although we do everything we can, we cannot break through this hardship.
That makes us stagnate and despair.
This tells us that there are limitations to the approach of searching for causes. We have to change our approach fundamentally.
To solve this problem, I will introduce another approach to solving our problems. I named it the dualistic problem-solving method. This can provide us with a solution without identifying the cause. I will introduce it below.
Monism vs. dualism
The dualistic problem-solving method is a way to solve problems without identifying the cause. This is effective in a chaotic situation with many influencing factors.
There are two approaches to solving problems, as follows:
- The monistic approach is that we first identify the cause and look for a solution according to the cause. This is effective when the cause is clear or the relationship is simple. Scientific thinking is based on this way.
- The dualistic approach is that we think we have at least two contradictory aspects, and losing their balance causes problems. We solve problems by modifying our balances without identifying the cause. This suits finding a reasonable solution to the abstract problem with countless influential factors, such as human life, health, or happiness.
Let’s look at the logic of the dualistic approach below.
The limitation of the monistic approach
Usually, when we have a problem, we think, “Why did this happen?” and try to find the cause.
This is the monistic approach. Understanding the cause allows us to solve it.
However, this approach often doesn’t work for our problems because identifying the cause is difficult, as mentioned above. When there are many unknown factors, this approach suddenly becomes helpless.
Dualism and our duality
On the other hand, to solve an abstract question, asking ‘Which is out of balance?’ often works well. This is because we can focus on the most unbalanced areas and modify them. We don’t have to find and solve the cause.
To explain it, let me introduce the concept of duality.
We have two contradictory aspects inside us. I call it duality. To live well, we have to balance them.
For example, we have two aspects of wants, such as a desire to be energetic and a wish for relaxation, contributing to others and caring for ourselves, making changes and creating stability, or a desire to challenge hard problems and a wish for comfort without troubles.
In other words, we are essentially contradictory. We have to satisfy both to feel happiness.
Two contradictory aspects
In the dualistic approach, we identify the axis of two contradictory aspects where balance is lost instead of the cause.
There are multiple angles of aspects, as follows:
- Being active and taking a rest
- Changing inside and changing outside
- Contributing to others and caring for ourselves
- Making changes and creating stability
- Challenging hard problems and relaxing in the current situation
- Denying the world and being grateful for the world
- Preparing and waiting
- Adding things and reducing things
- Being confident in our knowledge and being aware of our ignorance
- Starting something and stopping something
We find which balance was disrupted among these axes and correct it.
Why balancing them leads to a solution
This also naturally leads to solving the problem, especially if we have unique individuality.
This is because whether in monism or dualism, we go toward a direction that makes our lives easier in the end. Identifying the cause is to move in the direction of easier lives. Balancing two contradictory aspects is the same.
In other words, the difference between the approaches between monism and dualism is what to change first.
In the monistic approach, we first look for ways to harmonize with the circumstances based on an objective perspective and then change our ways of life to fit them.
On the other hand, in the dualistic approach, we first change our ways of life based on our subjective senses and then look for ways to harmonize with the new circumstances.
A similar result, even in a different way
There is no significant difference in the results. This is because we have to change something in a suffering situation.
To be precise, the monistic approach gives us the best way due to its objective perspective. On the other hand, the dualistic approach provides a reasonable way due to its mixture of objective and subjective views. Although the dualistic way doesn’t give us the best answer, it is better than continuing to suffer without finding a solution.
That is why balancing two contradictory aspects naturally leads to solving the problem. After all, our final action is to move in the direction that makes life easier based on our wants or maintain the current situation with patience and without hope.
Although it might not be the best way, it provides a reasonable way. Probably we don’t care about it because we want hope, even a piece of a clue.
The method for people with individuality
If we have unique individuality, the direction naturally will be independence.
In this case, try adding this rule: decide things by mood. This will accelerate the speed of our independence.
Independence means accepting contradictions inside us and making our own decisions. When we live self-reliantly, the last and the best thing we can rely on is our own judgment. Our mood is the result of the subconsciousness that is considered with our experiences, intuition, knowledge, wisdom, and individuality.
In other words, this dualistic approach suits people who have unique individuality and want to be independent. It provides the direction of answers to abstract questions, such as what our happiness is.
Conclusion
That is another approach to solving our problems: the dualistic problem-solving method.
This method allows us to solve problems without identifying the cause. This is effective in finding a reasonable solution to the abstract problem with countless influential factors, such as human life, health, or happiness.
This might provide us with another way to improve our lives.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope to see you in the next one.
