"Yes, And"

It’s simpler to say what you’re against.
(And the quickest way to form a group.)

It’s harder to name what you’re for.
To consider that which you’re against.

 --

But, we’re wired for contrast. Aren't we?
Hot or cold. Light or dark. This or that.

That’s how I taught my kids.
This is this because it’s not that.
But eventually, it stops working.

Hot isn’t bad. Cold isn’t either.
And darkness? It has things to teach.

I often go back to this Kierkegaard line in my head:

“You label me, so you can negate me.”

Maybe we’re doing that too much.
To others. To ourselves.
Throwing out babies with bathwater.

I don’t see the world as it is.
I see it as I am.

Which means real leadership takes something else.

The courage to stay curious.
The strength to hold complexity.

Not either, or. But yes, and.