Navigation: Building and Using a Subjective and Objective Compass: Plus The Tale of Mara and the Compass
Navigation: Building and Using a Subjective and Objective Compass
As children, we absorb information—both fiction and facts—like water into a sponge, creating a constant wave that splashes against the borders of our minds.
As we move into adulthood, the fluidity of our childhood thinking needs to solidify, morphing into something more structured, like a machine that can process information and produce results. However, sometimes we struggle to bridge this gap from child to semi-adult.
In this transition, we develop critical thinking and rational decision-making, often finding less room for imagination, or sometimes letting it go altogether. This can leave our minds hardened, operating solely in a factual world.
Alternatively, our imagination might take over, eroding our critical thinking and leaving our minds in a fluid state where nothing is solidified. Fiction becomes fact, and fact becomes fiction, depending on the direction of the waves.
Building Our Compass
So, the question remains: How do we impose structure on water and fluidity on a machine? How do we find equilibrium between our creative, subjective self and our grounded, objective self? The answer lies in the structure and processes we create with the knowledge we have acquired. But we must keep a few principles in mind as we build the playground compass in our heads:
Hold Paradoxes: We should be able to hold paradoxes in our minds, understanding that opposites can coexist without needing to merge. Just as the world has a North and South Pole that remain separate, so can our thoughts contain dualities that exist in tension but do not need to be resolved.
Understand Yin and Yang: We need to recognize and be familiar with yin and yang energies—the movements outside and within ourselves. This awareness unites us with our environment, creating a holistic perspective.
Accept Both Fact and Fiction: We must come to terms with the facts of our true experiences just as we come to terms with the fiction within those very same experiences. Knowing they both have equal value.
Balance Knowledge: Learn as much about the objective world as you do about the subjective world. For instance, study math as much as you read fiction. To build and maintain our inner compass, we must keep it solid where factual knowledge is needed and fluid where symbolic knowledge is required.
Recognize Time and Place as Dynamic: Understand that time and place are not static but interactive. Be aware that time may not be as linear as it seems.
Using Our Compass
To effectively use our compass in decision-making, we need to slow down our thoughts and observe the avenues we take quickly and automatically. By following the threads of our thoughts, we can see where they lead us.
When making decisions, we must recognize when to use our objective knowledge and when to draw on our subjective understanding. In situations that require both, we should allow the tension between them to guide us, understanding that sometimes the best path is found in the space where these opposites meet, rather than trying to merge them into one.
As we navigate decisions, knowing when to rely on objective knowledge and when to draw on subjective understanding provides clarity. But for decisions that require both—such as choosing a university or deciding who to marry—we should suspend both and let our inner magnetic poles guide us.
We allow the empty space between them to manifest a decision. By understanding the difference between the two, and holding them apart with equal respect, the magnetism between them propels us forward. This movement not only guides us but also makes us active participants in the world, as we wait for the world to respond and include our surroundings in our decision-making.
Conclusion
We are the sum of our parts, so we should pay attention to the abstract components we use. If we do not break down and examine the workings of our minds, we risk becoming like a model car without the moving parts of an engine—running in place but never moving forward. By creating and refining the moving parts of our internal compass and interacting with our environment, we will see progress, both within and without.
The Tale of Mara and the Compass of Equilibrium (*)
In a small village nestled between mountains and sea, there lived a young woman named Mara. From an early age, Mara was known for her vivid imagination and her ability to see the world in ways others could not. She would spend hours dreaming up stories, painting pictures in the sky, and wandering the forests, lost in thought. But as she grew older, she found herself struggling to make decisions that required more than just imagination. The world around her seemed to demand structure, clarity, and facts—things that felt foreign and uncomfortable to her.
One day, an elder from the village, known for his wisdom, visited Mara as she sat by the shore. He had seen her struggles and offered her a gift—a compass unlike any other.
“This compass,” he said, “is special. It is not just a tool for finding your way in the physical world, but a guide for navigating the mind. It will help you balance your imaginative, subjective self with the objective reality that surrounds you.”
Mara took the compass in her hands, noticing how the needle moved not only north and south but also seemed to respond to her thoughts and feelings. The elder explained, “This compass has two poles, just like the world. The North represents your objective knowledge—facts, logic, and reason. The South represents your subjective understanding—imagination, emotions, and intuition. Your task is to learn how to keep these poles in balance.”
Mara was intrigued but unsure how to use such a tool. The elder smiled and began to teach her.
Building the Compass
“First,” he said, “you must hold paradoxes in your mind. The North and South of this compass can never meet, yet they both guide you. Understand that opposites can coexist without needing to merge. Just as the sun can rise and set in the same sky, your thoughts can hold both truth and contradiction without conflict.”
Mara spent days reflecting on this, practicing holding two opposing ideas in her mind without letting them blur together. She began to see the world not just in black and white, but in shades of possibility, where multiple truths could coexist.
“Next,” the elder continued, “you must understand the energies within and around you. This compass will respond to the yin and yang of life—the push and pull, the ebb and flow. By attuning yourself to these forces, you will become more aware of how your inner world connects with the outer world.”
Mara started to notice the subtle shifts in the world around her—the way the wind changed direction, the way the tides moved in harmony with the moon. She realized that her decisions could no longer be based solely on facts or feelings, but needed to consider the harmony between the two.
Finally, the elder instructed, “You must balance your knowledge. Learn as much about the objective world as you do about the subjective. The compass will guide you, but only if you feed it with both solid knowledge and fluid imagination.”
Mara spent months studying, reading books on history and science, while also delving into poetry and art. She practiced using her compass, learning to feel when it leaned too heavily toward one pole or the other, and how to bring it back to center.
Using the Compass
One day, Mara was faced with a difficult decision: the village council had asked her to choose whether to stay and help the village grow or to leave and pursue her dreams of traveling the world.
She sat by the shore with her compass, feeling the tug between her logical side, which urged her to stay, and her imaginative side, which longed to explore. She knew this decision required both aspects of herself—facts and feelings, logic and intuition.
Mara closed her eyes and held the compass in her hands. She let her mind quiet and allowed the compass to find its balance. Slowly, she felt the magnetic poles within her align, and in the empty space between them, a decision began to form.
She realized that she didn’t have to choose between staying and leaving; she could do both. Mara decided to spend part of the year helping the village and the other part traveling, bringing back new ideas and knowledge to share with her community. The compass had guided her to a path that honored both her objective and subjective selves.
Conclusion
Mara’s life became a journey of balance. Whenever she faced a decision, she turned to her compass, remembering the lessons of paradox, harmony, and balance. The compass didn’t just guide her through the world; it guided her through her thoughts, helping her navigate the complex terrain of her mind. In doing so, she became not just a traveler of lands, but a traveler of ideas, always moving forward, always in balance.