Principles of Polarity - Part I
According to the Principle of Polarity, all things exist in duality. Two poles, or opposites, exist for every manifestation of matter, for every ideal, for every philosophy. All things “are” and “are not” at the same time, and so there is no objective “truth.” Only half truths exist, and these half truths reconcile all paradoxes.
Opposites, you see, are identical in nature. They differ only in degree. In this way, extremes meet.
The mysterious “Three Initiates” who authored The Kybalion may not have been privy to the luxuries of our modern scientific endeavors, and perhaps they would not have cared in their pursuit of Hermes Trismegistus. However, the easy synthesization of their Principle of Polarity with our own modern studies cannot be ignored.
Chemical ionic bonds occur when electrons possessing opposite charges are attracted to one another. The opposing poles of magnets are pulled relentlessly into proximity. Electrical force exists between any two charged objects, and opposite charges attract one another in very much the same manner.
Likewise, individuals with diverse major histocompatibility complexes are more likely to choose one another as mates. MHCs on chromosome six are of utmost importance in determining the strength of an individual’s immune system and the probability of reproductive success. MHC variances between mated individuals are greater than those between randomly paired individuals in a statistically significant manner, presenting the theory that individuals, on some basic level, are drawn towards mates who are fundamentally different than themselves.
Popular culture often points to dissimilarities in personality and phenotype to demonstrate the often-expressed “opposites attract” phenomenon, but it seems likely that, on some level, a deeper connection exists between two individuals with large-scale variances.