Nothing is all good or all bad, even black and white thinking
The idea that nothing is all good or all bad is, paradoxically, is also true for “black-and-white” thinking. Sometimes the straightforward, yes-or-no, this-or-that way is beneficial.
I like how Jessica Dore puts it in Tarot for Change, referring to the ace of swords:
When we give in to the tendency to categorize things as all good or all bad and draw our swords at inappropriate times, splitting complex, nuanced experiences into rigid evaluative dimensions, the mind goes from being a helpful aid to a liability, like carrying a knife for self-defense that gets turned back on you because you didn’t take the proper time to learn to use it. Conversely, when we know how and when to draw the blade—like when we’re getting distracted and need sharp focus or have become entangled in a trap of some kind—that’s what it’s there for, why it stays on our hip, ready. As is the case with all of what tarot teaches us, the ideal is moving flexibly between these modes, as the present moment calls for. The sword isn’t going to be the right tool for every challenge in life, but it will be for some.
I like that visual: the ability to wield straightforward, hell-no kind of thinking can, done correctly, avoid deadly traps.
- see also: complexity is sometimes noise, and cutting through it can be crucial