“Either/or thinking without both/and thinking is the root cause of poverty, racism, sexism, and war.”

Polarity management pioneer and author Barry Johnson and adult development expert Beena Sharma are masterful teachers on the subject of polarities and what polarity thinking can bring to the world, benefitting our well-being at every level. Together they explain what polarities are, why they matter, how to apply and leverage them, and the essence of polarity wisdom: pursuing the upsides of opposite poles. Barry is careful to explain that although either/or thinking is the root of our troubles, both/and thinking by itself isn’t the answer either. Integrating either/or with both/and thinking and recognizing the interdependence of all things is the road to transformation and, Beena adds, the engine of human development, of human maturity.

Barry explains the profound spiritual understanding foundational to polarity wisdom and Beena details how polarities shift according to our developmental stage. Each of the polarities discussed—justice/mercy, claiming power/sharing power, being/doing, to name a few—illuminates its sphere, whether it relates to democracy, social justice, or spiritual practice. Barry and Beena are passionate about the promise of polarity thinking and their excitement is contagious in this fast-paced, delightfully lucid dialogue, jam-packed with information that is practical, inspiring, and potentially life changing.

Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Heidi Mitchell

Topics & Timestamps — Part 1

• Introducing polarity management pioneer & author Barry Johnson and adult development expert Beena Sharma (00:48)
• How did Barry discover polarities? (02:15)
• The essential dimension of polarities—interdependent pairs—and the universal interdependence of all of life (03:08)
• The capacity to integrate and recognize interdependence is the driving force of adult human development (03:47)
• The difference between polarity management and polarity wisdom (05:37)
• A key polarity in leadership and democracy: claiming power & sharing power (07:20)
• Experiential exercise: the infinity loop (08:11)
• What is true for all polarities: each pole brings something special that is essential to the relationship (11:15)
• The integrating wisdom that includes and transcends both polarities encompasses all dualities, reflecting traditional East Indian wisdom (12:12)
• As a leader, how can we be both clear & flexible, self-assured & humble, and as an organization, centralized & decentralized? (13:51)
• The oscillation between activity and rest (14:55)
• Leveraging polarities: maximizing upsides and minimizing downsides (16:22)
• Either/or thinking is essential, but it needs to be supplemented with both/and thinking (16:34)
• Privileging one pole as better, you enter into dysfunction (19:33)
• Interpersonal relationships: we see the positive value of our preferred pole but the downside of the other’s opposite preferred pole (20:56)
• The essence of polarity wisdom: embracing the wisdom of the opposite pole (21:41)
• Polarity thinking is an antidote to rigidity; it heals polarization (22:25)
• Either/or thinking without both/and thinking is the root cause of evil (23:09)
• Pursuing justice to the neglect of mercy (its interdependent pole) (26:47)
• Does both/and thinking require a certain level of maturity? (32:14)

Topics & Timestamps — Part 2

• Looking at the pole preferences that show up at each stage of development (00:37)
• The integrative stage of development doesn’t reject either/or thinking or both/and thinking (04:42)
• Embracing polarities’ upsides elevates you; you come to a higher place (08:05)
• Tyranny and democracy: how do you both provide direction and encourage participation? (08:54)
• The spiritual polarity of doing and being and Martin Buber’s I and thou (14:08)
• How polarities nest and stack: Beena leads a nesting and upleveling exercise (18:10)
• Relating polarity thinking to quantum physics & the richness of the subject of universal interdependence (22:32)
• How do we respond to opposition at different developmental stages? (24:33)
• Jack Gibb’s trust theory: love is a natural byproduct of seeing completely (28:24)
• Seeing life and death as two poles and the violence in nature (29:28)
• Enhancing our capacity to love: individuals, enemies, countries; universal interdependence is a manifestation of divine love (32:44)
• Taking radical responsibility for our own incapacity to see (36:42)
• Love as a natural response to seeing fully and defenselessly (38:23)
• Barry’s profound realization about heaven, hell, and universal love (40:14)

Topics & Timestamps — Part 3

• Back to stages: from self-interest to harmonizing, to independence, multiperspectivality, and oneness (00:35)
• We are born unique and we become more unique; we are born connected and appreciate being connected more and more (08:23)
• Applying polarity thinking to contemporary politics: immigration (09:29)
• The language of compassionate action (12:08)
• How polarity thinking can help us with the metacrisis (16:02)
• Leveraging polarities in everyday life, socially & culturally (20:11)
• How do we select what to do when faced by an overwhelming amount of choices? (25:42)
• We have to consciously become more competent, more masterful (27:28)
• Polarity tension is always there, and we need to forgive ourselves and others for not always doing a good job with leveraging key polarities, i.e.  work & home, self-care & achievement (28:51)

About the Deep Transformation series

We are clearly in a new era, facing world-threatening challenges and graced with barely conceivable opportunities. In this mind-boggling new world, we all face two crucial questions:

• First, the ever-present conundrum of how to best live fully, deeply, wisely, and well.
  Second, the new question unique to our times, how to best understand and heal our endangered world.
• Wouldn’t it be wonderful to hear responses to these questions from some of the great consciousness pioneers—the outstanding thinkers, sages, scientists, and activists—of our time? These are the people and conversations that Deep Transformation offers.

Deep Transformation: Self-Society-Spirit draws on diverse ideas from around the world. It goes beyond traditional positions and polarities—beyond left and right, material and spiritual—to seek syntheses of deep wisdom and practical know-how that integrate the best of all positions.

Click here to learn more about Deep Transformation!

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About Barry Johnson

In 1975, Barry created the first Polarity Map® and set of principles. He is an avid outdoorsman and intrepid traveler, and brings head and heart together in his teaching and consulting. Barry and his wife, Dana, have 5 children and 11 grandchildren.

About Beena Sharma

Beena Sharma is President of the Vertical Development Academy, and an international consultant committed to serving leaders and organizations in their growth endeavors. . Beena is a Certified MAP Scorer, Certified Leadership Maturity Coach and certifying Master Coach. Beena is a lead facilitator of the VeDA Coach Certification Program and consults with organizations interested in implementing vertical development. Beena is trained in Polarity Thinking at the Mastery level and integrates that expertise in her coaching and consulting practice.

About Roger Walsh

Roger Walsh, M.D., Ph.D., has spent nearly a quarter century researching and practicing in the world's great spiritual traditions. His critically acclaimed book, Essential Spirituality, is a summary of that wisdom, outlining the seven spiritual practices common to the world's major religions.

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About John Dupuy

John Dupuy is co-founder and CEO of iAwake Technologies, a company that creates cutting-edge, high-tech brainwave entrainment soundtracks that support the healing of emotional/shadow issues, deepen meditation, mental focus, creativity, and flow states, and enhance a daily integral transformative practice. John has been working personally and professionally with brainwave entrainment technology since 2004, and travels internationally to teach and inspire on the subjects of Integral Transformative Practice and Integral Recovery®. John is also the author of Integral Recovery: A Revolutionary Approach to the Treatment of Alcoholism and Addiction (SUNY Press, 2013), winner of the 2013 USA Best Book Award, and co-host of the popular Journey of Integral Recovery podcast. John also hosts the online series Spiritual Tech Talks 2.0, in which he converses with leaders, pioneers, and inventors on the current wave of emerging spiritual technologies.