Thursday 19 January 2012

Is freedom ying or yang?


Ying Yang posits that there are two complementary forces surrounding us. Both are necessary, and too much of either is bad.

In Yang lies the seed of Ying, and in Ying lies the seed of Yang. Ying and Yang are cyclical. Yang grows but at its height Ying emerges. Ying grows, and at its height Yang appears.

Ying is soft, where Yang is hard.
Ying is still, where Yang moves.
The moon is Ying, where the sun is Yang.
Intuition is Ying, where logic is Yang.

Freedom is Ying, where restriction is Yang.

This fence is on the very edge of the South Head entrance to Sydney Harbour. You can see North Head in the backgroud. In the lower photograph, you can see the location of the detailed shot, in the extreme left top of the image.

This post is part of the Friday Fences community.

24 comments:

Luis Gomez said...

Beautiful post Julie. Thanks!

Kate said...

Freedom is an important concept.

Anonymous said...

Love the juxtaposition you've found for us...

Carole M. said...

glad you wrote this post; it defines clearly what I hadn't read into before this. I have saved your words to make indelible in my mind to re-read frequently till I know that off by heart some day.

Jim said...

Great post. Great views.

Al said...

Great shots and an interesting post about yin and yang.

Peter said...

Looks like some fisherfolk down on the rock platform.

Julie said...

Yes, there are two fisher-blokes down on the rock platform in the second shot. Englarge and marvel at their use of freedom.

Joe said...

You made me think about the Ying and Yang in your photos.

Joan Elizabeth said...

And when I embiggen I can see that candy striped lighthouse I didn't know about. When is exercising our freedom foolishness I wonder?

Julie said...

Joan, that is when Ying turns into Yang and the other way around. It is up to the judgement of the individual.

Breathtaking said...

What a great post.You are right
ofcourse, we cannot have one without the other.To much freedom
could lead to anarchy but restriction could equally lead to
anarchy.Everything I can think of
needs equilibrio.

Thankyou for joining my blog:)

PerthDailyPhoto said...

These are spectacular shots Julie, when you pull the image in and see how wee the fishermen are in the scale of things it's mindboggling! Ignoring the modernizations, I should imagine the views from the clifftop are not much different from those that the first settlers saw when they arrived on these shores.

Julie said...

Those 'modernisations', Grace, are most difficult to ignore. However, I know what you mean, and have had that thought whilst standing up there. I have even gone so far as to hunt out paintings of the areas in the early years of the 19th century, which show, unsurprisingly, a heavily wooded headland and foreshore. Interesting comparison.

Jan n Jer said...

Two awesome shots...life is just full of yings n yangs, Don't you think!!!!!

SportyMummy said...

Beautiful shots of a side of Sydney that is not often seen....beautiful!

Judy said...

That is an interesting fence in the first capture! I love the view in the second, though!!

Dianne said...

I love the lines of the fence
your composition really captures the tightness of a fence against the wide open space beyond it
wonderful

TexWisGirl said...

i like how you presented this!

Liz said...

Lovely shots of Sydney! I love the perspective of the second and the scenery is beautiful.

EG CameraGirl said...

Lovely view. I can see why a fence is necessary here!

Julie said...

Thank you friends from FF. I appreciate your visits. See you again next Friday.

Inger-M said...

Great shots of a fabulous view!

Julie said...

It is a fabulous view, Inger. And one does not have to worry about remaining silent. One's breath is totally taken away and even the most garrulous of person is reduced to abject silence.