The Philosopher's Coins

The Philosopher’s Corner

Things, they are a’changin…

In my talks and writings, I have long used the image of a coin as a metaphor for the stuff of life. That image has served me well, illustrating the simple fact that we always have choices, that we must continually make choices. The coin has two sides and no matter what side you look at, there is always another side to see. Life, I think, is like that … no matter what we see happening, there is more to it than we now see; there is another side to be seen and understood. No matter what the feeling of a moment, there is another way to feel about “what is;” another way to react and to act. In whatever the situation, I have been fond of saying, “There are no one-sided coins.”

This last week I experienced a new perception of the coin, seen it in a new light, come to a new thought about the analogy. I have long held to an image of the coin’s two sides representing both the idea of choice and the idea of opposites – heads or tails, good or bad, right or wrong, forward or backward. A few days ago, I encountered a new teacher who cast things in a different light. He spoke, in the beginning, of the “Law of Three” and used the basic atomic structure to illustrate his point. The atom consists of three main elements or particles, the electron, proton and neutron. The electron exhibits a negative force, the proton, a positive force. The neutron is … neutral. The dynamics of the atomic structure change fluctuate, the proton becomes negative and the electron, positive; this switch is constantly ongoing. The one consistent - the unifying force within it all is the neutron. Without the neutron, the two otherwise separate particles accomplish little. The purpose, the energy, the potential of becoming something exists only within the whole. Remembering the image of the coin and its two sides, I see that the two sides cannot exist without a center; the sides of the coin have no independent existence or purpose. You cannot purchase something with only the heads or tails of a coin, only the whole coin has any real value.

I have previously thought of heads and tails as a representation of right and wrong, calling me to choose one or the other. I realize now that like the atom, the two sides constantly switch energies. What I see as positive is, from another perspective, negative. Viewed in the light of a different understanding, the negative becomes a positive. The awareness that is evolving in this ol’grey head is that the value and usefulness of a thing, or a thought, lies only within embracing the whole and not in resolutely attaching one’s self to one side or the other.

We have been long taught to choose sides, to take a stand on one side of a line or the other. Is it perhaps time for a new perspective? We have a pocket full of coins … loose change. Yah, loose CHANGE. Perhaps our choice, the only choice that will bring the wanted change into our life experience is not found in clinging to a one-sided perception of the right or wrong of the coin we hold in our hand or mind, but rather in choosing another coin. Reach into your pocket, handbag or cookie jar, grab onto a new coin, and discover the many ways it can be spent. Sometimes (most times) we need more change – one coin one change is not enough, we must put together a combination of whole coins to pay for what we want, simply choosing one side or the other of any one or any one-sided combinations simply will not, does not work to our overall benefit. 

Well, my friends, that is what’s rattling around “up there” in this moment. There seems to be an evolution of thoughts and awareness going on, at least that is my perception. That’s one combination of coins in my pocket full of change. What is in your pocket?  

Jimminy Crickett