Recent election results show Republicans sweeping up more than 60 seats formerly held by Democrats to regain a majority in the House of Representatives—a majority Republicans lost merely two years ago when the Democrats swept to a majority in both the House and the Senate with the election of President Obama. Through endless debates, finger pointing, and analysis of the election’s outcome, what’s lost in the din of rhetoric and blame is the realization that the two parties of our nation should act like a scale— maintaining political balance for constructive dialogue and progress.
Balance is an important Taoist concept, as illustrated by the tai chi symbol of yin and yang. Balance of power prevents abuse and extreme actions. Take a friendship, for instance; when the relationship is lopsided, resentment builds for the person feeling short-changed. In a family, both parents should have equal input toward influencing the healthy development of their children. Likewise, in politics, no one political party should dominate; otherwise, the dominating political party risks acting like an authoritarian regime. No matter the election outcome, the Republicans and the Democrats should work together to serve all Americans alike, not just their supporters.
In business, all too often, business deals are viewed as zero-sum games in which there are victors and losers. The winner-takes-all attitude is both competitive and destructive. What we need is constructive progress in which everyone cooperates to bring mutual benefit to one another, and societies can then function harmoniously.
During the period of Sage-Emperors in China, when Taoist teaching were widely practiced, buyers of goods insisted on paying more, while the sellers of goods argued to take less; both understood that the balancing nature of this relationship was the basis for constructive progress between two people.
Imagine applying this principle to all relationships between people in the world.
What would the world be like?