Man, I gotta tell ya, life throws some curveballs, right? There was this period a few years back, felt like everything I touched kinda just… pushed back. Like trying to walk upstream all the time. At work, with the family, even just trying to get my own projects off the ground. It wasn’t full-blown drama or anything, just this constant nagging feeling of being at odds with… well, everything, sometimes. I was just stuck in this rut, wondering why things felt so damn difficult.
I remember one day, I was just scrolling through some old spiritual texts, you know, just trying to clear my head, and I stumbled upon this thing called the I Ching. I’d heard of it, of course, but always thought it was a bit too out there for me. But something about this one particular hexagram, Hexagram 38, just jumped out. The title, “Opposition,” or “Contrariety” some folks called it, hit home hard. I thought, “Well, that sounds about right.”
At first, I kinda just skimmed it. My brain was like, “Great, another thing telling me my life’s all about fighting.” But then I started reading some of the interpretations, not the super technical stuff, just the plain English takes. And man, it started clicking in a different way. It wasn’t about fighting to win or trying to crush the other side. It was more about two different things, two different people, two different ideas, existing side-by-side, maybe even needing each other, despite their differences. Like a wagon wheel where the spokes are all pointing in different directions but come together at the hub, or something like that. It made me pause and think.
My usual reaction to opposition was either to push harder, trying to force my view, or just retreat and grumble. Neither of those ever really worked out well, let’s be honest. So, I decided, why not try to actually live by this Hexagram 38 idea for a bit? It wasn’t about doing some complex ritual or anything, it was about shifting my mindset, you know? It was an experiment on my own damn life.
I started with a situation at work. There was this project where I just could not see eye-to-eye with a colleague. We had totally different approaches to practically everything. Before, I’d just dig in, try to argue my point, show why I was “right.” But with this new lens, I began to actually listen to him, really listen, for the first time. I didn’t agree with him, not totally, but I started to see his logic, his reasons for doing things his way. And vice-versa, he started hearing me out a bit more when I wasn’t just trying to dominate the conversation.
What I did was actively search for the bits where our goals actually aligned, even if our methods were miles apart. I spotted the common ground we both stood on, even while our feet were pointing in opposite directions. It wasn’t about giving up my own path, not at all. It was about realizing that his path, as different as it was, wasn’t necessarily trying to block mine. Sometimes, it was just running parallel, and sometimes, those parallel lines could actually help each other move forward. I exercised patience, something I’m not exactly famous for. I practiced articulating my own position clearly, without making it sound like the only valid one.
I learned to respect the difference. I mean, we didn’t become best buddies overnight, and our project still had its bumps. But we managed to get things done, and honestly, the end result was a lot stronger because it incorporated both our distinct viewpoints. It wasn’t just my idea, or his idea; it was something that emerged from navigating our opposition.
This whole thing changed how I approached a lot of stuff. I stopped seeing every disagreement as a personal attack or a barrier. I started viewing it as a natural part of existence, like different elements on a canvas making up a complete picture. Finding my path wasn’t about bulldozing through obstacles; it was about learning to dance with them, to pivot, to find the gaps, and sometimes, just to appreciate the unique perspective that opposition brought to the table. It made me realize that sometimes, finding your true direction isn’t about clearing the way, but about navigating the currents that inevitably push against you.
