This quote posits that holiness is not about perfection or about living without sin or flaw, but rather about achieving a state of wholeness, a reconciliation of opposites. In other words, a holy person is one who has managed to integrate all aspects of their being, including their strengths and weaknesses, their virtues and vices, their joys and sorrows, into a cohesive, harmonious whole.
The “opposites” referred to in the quote can be understood as all the dualities that exist within us and in the world around us. These could be light and dark, good and evil, love and hate, joy and sorrow, strength and weakness, and so on. The quote suggests that holiness involves not denying or repressing any of these opposites, but rather acknowledging, accepting, and integrating them.
Applying this idea to today’s world or personal development, it suggests that true growth and enlightenment come not from striving for perfection or avoiding our flaws and weaknesses, but from acknowledging and integrating all parts of ourselves. This involves accepting our flaws and mistakes, learning from them, and using them as stepping stones towards growth and self-improvement. It also involves recognizing that our strengths and virtues are not the whole of who we are, but only part of a complex, multifaceted self.
In a broader societal context, this quote could be seen as a call for tolerance, understanding, and acceptance of difference. Just as a holy person reconciles their internal opposites, so too might a society achieve a kind of ‘holiness’ by reconciling its diverse and often conflicting elements into a harmonious whole. This might involve acknowledging and respecting differences in race, religion, culture, and personal beliefs, rather than seeking to suppress or eliminate them.
In conclusion, this quote offers a profound and nuanced understanding of what it means to be holy, suggesting that it involves not perfection, but wholeness; not the absence of conflict, but the reconciliation of opposites.
