Dichotomy & Irony of Life, Are You Enjoying any and all shenanigans?
Living life is one heck of an adventure
Hi world,
Emerald is ever-present, ever-adventurous, and ever-learning.
I’m here to share an incident that occurred in Oakland, California.
One sunny day in November 2019, a friend invited me to the Medical Precision Conference as a VIP guest. The public commute asks me to spend 2 hours each way to attend the event.
According to google maps, it instructs to take the Bart to Coliseum, Oakland then walks 200 meters to Amtrack station then arrive at the Great America Parkway conference room. It all consumes 2 hours each way.
COLISEUM, OAKLAND
I called Uber for good reasons.
While waiting for the Uber driver, I felt unsafe because two young men were walking in pairs and a third man randomly asked me what time it is.
[A] man: “What time is it?”
[B] Emerald: Jumps- shocked. “Huh?”
[A] man “No no don’t worry, you are safe, I just want to know what time it is”
[B] Emerald: Sees 2 men in pair walking around fast pace up and down the bus stop
[C] random stranger on behalf of Emerald: “It is 1:30 pm”
…
Looking at my phone, at the Uber app. Wondering where 71st street is, puzzled. I decided to ask the same black man who asked me about a time earlier.
[B] Emerald: Walks up to the man. “Hey, do you know where 71st street is?”
[A] man: “Yeah, it’s this way (pointing finger in one direction). Follow me, I’ll walk you there. Look at this DMV registration form, my name is on there just in case you are scared, here is my identity”
[B] Emerald: Reads the DMV form. “Gentry… ok, no just point me from here, I will walk there”
[A] man: “Oh ok, it’s there (pointing at 71st street). Watch out for your belongings, people steal shit here”
[B] Emerald: Stops walking. Shocked. Sees a woman with a suitcase. She seems like a traveler. Stands by her. Asks, “Hey where are you from? Are you scared around here, I am a little scared”.
[D] woman: “I am from New Jersey on a business trip. What’s there to be scared of?” with a kind smile.
We exchange small talk and I walk toward the Uber pickup location. In front of me, I see a black car. 2 men had gone in and out of the car. Then both men rush back into the car and the car drives off swerving like a drunken rocket.
Then the [D] woman darts toward me for help.
[D] woman: “Help me, someone stole my wallet and a phone.”
[B] Emerald: “Ok, let’s call 911.” Dials 911.
[D] woman: “Maybe you were right, I should have been more fearful.”
[B] Emerald: “No, you were right, there is nothing to fear.”
Locking eyes with her, caught in dichotomy, and irony.
Right,
Beauty is the capacity to hold both opposing situations as one with a deep presence.
Beauty is the ability to help someone in need.
Beauty is dichotomy & irony in life dancing together as one.
About the Author
Spiritual teacher, Kate LEE is the CEO of an impact-driven company LIFE OF EMERALD, a platform that aids corporate employees worldwide to reduce stress by providing strategies on how to take care of the soul, body, and mind health via conscious media.
She is born in Seoul, Korea to a royal family. King Sejong is her ancestor, the most beloved King of Korea. King Sejong the Great (7 May 1397–8 April 1450) is the fourth king of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He collaboratively created and promulgated the Korean alphabet Hangul with scholars, encouraged advancements in scientific technology, and instituted many other efforts to stabilize and improve prosperity. Ancestors on her mother’s side are the scholars of the Nobel class in the Silla dynasty (57 BC — 935 AD). She is here to bring peace to Earth by living artfully, mindfully, and harmoniously with the natural rhythm of the universe foremost grounded on love. Kate has 17 years of teaching experience including educating STEM college graduates sponsored by the South Korean government and Samsung.
About LIFE OF EMERALD
We stand for one soul, body, and mind. Our conscious media spreads information on ancient wisdom, spirituality, and world cultures. Our fundamental goal is to unite the world and make the world a safe place. Our motto is ‘Make ancient wisdom great again.’ We believe we live in a world full of complexity, based on some level of lies. We value honesty, integrity, and simplicity. How about we co-create this world into an ideal version we secretly envision in our hearts? We can start by embracing the concept, ‘It’s okay to be not okay.’ We believe our humanity comes from relating to one another from the heart with empathy and forgiveness. After all, we are learning and evolving together on our host planet, mother Earth.
